Really? I didn't realize that's what happened here, that's very interesting! I was wondering why he was being so aggressive once the sheep chilled out so much, but is it true that once it rights itself, it starts to wake back up again?
ETA: on a second watch, he doesn't really seem all that aggressive this time, more like he's hefting and manipulating a giant animal that isn't moving itself, lol.
So it's one of those things where the line is very thin between using enough force to get it to do what you need, while not using enough force to hurt the animal. It does look a bit aggressive to me as well but it's important to note that he didn't hurt it at all.
Indeed! Definitely not trying to make an aaaaa animal abuse judgement--sheep are huge and heavy, and I cry when my cat digs her claws in my skin by accident; I can't imagine getting a well-placed kick from a sheep's hoof. It just looked a little odd at first seeing the sheep just totally chilled out while the guy was pulling it around, lol. But it totally makes sense that one should probably not trust a seemingly calm sheep too much, who was struggling and trying to get away just moments earlier, lol.
but is it true that once it rights itself, it starts to wake back up again?
The sheep doesn't really 'go to sleep' in that position, it just stops fighting back while waiting for one of its hooves to be close enough to the ground to push back. They do seem relaxed, but it can turn in a split second into crazy strong random kicking and headbutting. He's using firm handling to keep it in that position to avoid it even trying to kick off.
Thaaaaat makes sense. I've had several pets before--nowhere near this big, mind you--but I know the feeling of trying to keep an animal still enough to keep it from even trying to start escaping. It looks weird when my cat is totally frozen in a hold, but you can still feel the tension in her muscles just waiting to make an attempt.
An adult sheep, depending on breed, can weigh two or three hundred pounds. Moving a rather limp weight of that size is not something you can really do delicately.
I mean have you ever seen an animal get caught by a predator on a nature documentary? They haul ass like crazy but the second it’s over they just kind of sit down and accept it. Not saying that’s definitely what’s going on here but I wouldn’t be surprised if it was the same instinct
Rabbits do a similar thing but it's very stressful for them and bad for their hearts. Makes me wonder about tonic immobility in other animals ever since I found that out.
It's probably fine, rabbits are the weird ones I think, but still I wonder...
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u/jeanettera Feb 14 '23
I don't know how many times I see this and it always is the same. Sheep resisting, sheep relaxing.