Upon bringing lambs in for docking, Guy Edwards of Wright, Wyoming, discovered at least 70 of his yearling ewes were missing from his family ranch — the number of sheep that fit perfectly into a double-deck gooseneck trailer.
The family and law enforcement are still on the lookout.
The ewes were housed in a pasture about 30 miles southeast of Gillette and were combined with some of his father, Rich Edward’s yearling ewes, with other range lambing ewes. The family’s last count of their flock was in May before lambing, but when lambs were brought in to dock on July 8, they discovered the missing ewes.
After checking pastures and neighboring pastures, Edwards posted to his social media saying that he’d found where the ewes were likely loaded — a place where the grass was flattened down.
According to a post by Guy Edward, his lambs are either paint branded with a red “GE” on the middle of the back or have either yellow or blue ear tags. Some of the lambs will also have a cropped left ear. Rich Edward’s lambs are branded with a blue circle on the rump and tagged with orange ear tags.
The sheep were reported to the Campbell County Sheriff’s Office and the Wyoming Livestock Board inspectors on June 10.
Wyoming’s brand laws require that animals being transported out-of-county are inspected. However, Ground News reports that Edwards, a brand inspector himself, believes the sheep may have been taken to a neighboring state — such as South Dakota, Nebraska, or Colorado — where brand inspections are not required.
Edwards is no stranger to raising lambs as a third-generation sheep farmer and owner of Edwards Rambouillets. He also operates a sheering school in Campbell County and uses some of his sheep in stock dog trials.
Information on the case should be provided to the Wyoming Livestock Board or the Campbell County Sheriff’s office.
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