Lily the sheep had been roaming the Gower alone for years, hardly able to stand due to the weight of her thick mattered coat and because of ill health, an animal sanctuary has said.
There had been several sightings of her ploughing a lonely furrow, but no-one knew who owned her or how she had ended up living such a solitary, unloved existence.
But Lily has now been given a new lease of life and is on the mend after being rescued and taken in in by Woodfield Animal Sanctuary.
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The sanctuary, that's based in Welshmoor, Gower, were notified by a woman that a bedraggled sheep had been seen for years just on her own on the hillside. You can read more stories about Gower here.
Robbie Bartington, sanctuary founder, said the woman had tried to find out which farm Lily had come from and knocked on all the doors of every farmer for miles around, but none of them said they owned her.
She added: "There were no sheep for miles around. She was seen in more or less the same place and gradually over time she became more and more laboured under her heavy wool coat. Then this same lady noticed she was barely able to walk, at that point she contacted us."
Woodfield sanctuary rescues around 100 horses, cats, dogs, sheep and cows every year. Some have been mistreated, abandoned or their owners cannot look after them anymore.
It tries to rehome the animals that come into its care, but this is not always an easy task and therefore some of the animals are given forever homes at the sanctuary.
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When Robbie and her team went to find Lily they realised straight away how seriously unwell she was. As well as being at that point unable to stand due to the weight of her thick coat, she was also very lame.
Robbie said: "We brought her straight home and she was fed and watered, and then given a long acting sheep painkiller. Although very nervous of humans, she quickly built up her confidence and by the evening she was able to lift her head and look at me."
Robbie said she was very nervous about going in to see Lily in her stable as she was worried that the whole shock of being carried over the fields and then transported by horse box back to the sanctuary might have been too much for her, as sheep are incredibly frail creatures and can have a heart attack very easily.
But she said Lily was safe and was mesmerised by the sound of other animals at the sanctuary. She added: "She called out to me, and some of my other pet sheep heard her, and called back to her. The look on her face was something I will never forget. She had not heard or seen any sheep or cows for years.
"I brought our two pet lambs who live in the garden in to see her and she couldn’t believe her eyes, from that moment she has been with them all the time."
Robbie described Lily as being adorable and very friendly, adding: "She is an absolute treasure. In fact, I have been out with her tonight, she has a warm shelter so I was cuddling her. She is the most extraordinary sheep, very clever. She knows exactly what is going on and that we are trying everything we can to give her a better quality of life. Whatever Lily needs she will have."
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