Agricultural Notes from Abroad

In 2004, a group of sheep in Yorkshire had--unlikely as it may seem--a bright idea. Tired of being penned in by fences and irritated by a metal cattle grate which kept them from walking out, they discovered they could simply flop down on their sides and roll across the grate.

Oh Joy! Soon they were dining to their heart's content in the village gardens. For more on this fascinating though tragic story, read Jason Bellows' fine posting The Great Sheep Escape on Damn Interesting.

For Bellows this conjures up memories of John Sturges' 1963 masterpiece The Great Escape, starring Steve Mcqueen. In a slightly more literary vein, we were reminded of Poul Anderson's 1954 science fiction classic Brain Wave, which tells the story of what happens when the earth moves out of an electrical field which has been suppressing brain activity for millions of years. Suddenly the intellect of all creatures, including sheep, skyrockets.

Photo from the BBC News story "Crafty sheep conquer cattle grids."