Ewe have to be kidding me!
Air Zermatt has announced that this summer it will be trialling the use of black-nosed sheep to assist with its SAR efforts, though it might be trying to pull the wool over our eyes.
Picture the scene: You twist your ankle whilst walking in Switzerland. Lying on the floor, you wonder how you’re going to contact an air ambulance service. Then you see your saviour come trotting over the horizon: a black-nosed sheep.
Yes, Air Zermatt has announced that this summer it will be trialling the use of black-nosed sheep to assist with its SAR efforts, apparently meaning they will be able to reach lost or injured hikers in ‘optimal time’.
“Recent studies show that sheep have qualities unknown to science. We sheep farmers have known for a long time that black-nosed sheep can be incredibly well oriented in the terrain,” said Rebecca Julen, a sheep farmer that Air Zermatt has been working with. “Our sheep know exactly how they get from A to B the fastest in the mountains.”
Search dogs have been used by Air Zermatt for years, so training sheep is the next logical step for the service said Gerold Biner, CEO of Air Zermatt. “The first sheep have already completed various training sessions,” he added.
Air Zermatt said that the trained sheep will be allowed to meander around the mountain with the rest of their herd most the time, but when they hear or smell a hiker in distress, they will leap into action. The sheep will also have emergency transmitters to help Air Zermatt helicopter teams locate any injured hikers once they have been found by the sheep.
Here at AMR we have a baaaad feeling about this scheme, which was announced on the 1 of April. Something tells us that Air Zermatt might be trying to pull the wool over our eyes.