A bighorn sheep became stuck on the roof and deck of a Boulder County home for more than 24 hours this week, likely while he was looking for a mate, according to Colorado Parks and Wildlife.
Wildlife officers responded to a call about a ram stuck on the roof of a house in unincorporated Boulder County on Tuesday, said spokesperson Kara Van Hoose. The ram likely became stuck in the morning.
“We were hoping he would come down on his own because he’s on the roof and realizes this is not a great spot for him to be,” Van Hoose said.
The ram made it down to the deck of the house at some point and officers hoped he might be able to make it all the way down on his own, Van Hoose said. But after a day and a half, the ram wasn’t showing signs he could get out, so an officer cut out a portion of the deck railing to give him a clear path.
It’s not clear how or why the ram got on the roof, Van Hoose said.
“That’s one of the mysteries of bighorn sheep,” she said. “We’re in mating season for sheep right now and rams just act strange. They get really weird, their whole behavior changes and they do anything they can to find females to mate.”
Bighorn sheep are good climbers and like being up high, Van Hoose said, so it’s possible he thought it was the best place to look for eligible ewes.
While it’s a little early in December for the sound of hooves clattering on rooftops, the Colorado Parks and Wildlife could not confirm or deny if the ram’s activities were related to the holiday season.
“I can’t speak on behalf of Santa Claus – he has his own public information officer – but this is not how we would recommend delivering gifts for Christmas,” Van Hoose said.
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