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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Courtney Pochin

Prickles the sheep returns home after seven years - owners joke she was 'self-isolating'

In 2013 a huge bush fire in Tasmania meant that the fences around Alice Gray's farm were burned down.

This caused a lot of chaos as a number of sheep escaped and ended up getting rather lost for seven years.

Over time they were forgotten about by their owners.

However, one little sheep, named Prickles proved to be a master of self-isolation and social distancing, keeping herself going for all that time.

And now she has returned home, much to Alice's surprise - although she's not looking quite so little anymore.

Prickles is sporting a gigantic woolly coat, which is set to be shorn off for charity, with her owners organising a 'guess the weight of her fleece' competition to raise funds, with the proceeds going to help refugees suffering amid the coronavirus crisis.

Prickles has been 'social-distancing' for the last seven years (Courtesy of Alice Gray)

Speaking to the BBC, Alice said: "We believe that Prickles was trapped in a bush block at the back of our farm.

"We didn't know Prickles existed, however we had an inkling."

The family had set up some night-time cameras to see if they had any deer, when they caught sight of the huge ball of fluff.

However it wasn't until they were outside enjoying a barbecue that Prickles made her presence known.

The other sheep are much smaller (Courtesy of Alice Gray)

Alice's husband caught the sheep, but Prickles proved so strong that it took a total of five adults to load her into the back of a van and return her to the farm yard to be with the rest of the sheep.

She's now readjusting to life on the farm and is said to be "doing wonderfully" living in the retirement paddock.

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Alice added an important message about Prickles and the Covid-19 pandemic, saying: "If Prickles can be isolated for seven years, the rest of us don't have an excuse for complaining for being stuck at home."

If you've been inspired by Prickles, you can donate to her fundraiser for the United Nations Refugee Agency here.

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