– We picked up a sheep there, we also picked up one there, says sheep farmer Randi Knutsen in Evje and Hornnes municipality in Agder. She points out over the heavily depleted water reservoir Høvringsvatten. During the summer, she has saved several sheep from death here. She despairs that it is difficult to look after the sheep in the grazing area. Especially when it pulls down into the empty water reservoir to find water. Spent half an hour digging out the sheep Thea Skranefjell Martens and her boyfriend also experienced the consequences of the low water level this summer. One of Knutsen’s sheep in Evje had become stuck in a sinkhole in the water reservoir. – He had been lying there for a while, it was clear to see, says Martens. For half an hour, Martens dug diligently to free it from the area, which is usually under water. The boyfriend assisted with securing. HEAVY: It was no easy job to dig out the sheep from the sea of mud. Photo: Private – I sank up to my thighs in mud. I got stuck a couple of times but got out. Martens is glad she found the sheep as early as she did. – There are several times I have met carcasses instead, and I find it very sad. – Death traps Now sheep farmers are alarming the country. Several people are in despair and feel powerless, says pasture and range advisor Per Fossheim in Norsk Sau og geit. – On behalf of Norwegian sheep owners, we think it is very sad that we should end up in this situation. This is a consequence of the regulators draining the water. He explains that the animals go where they are used to finding water, but that the water is suddenly transformed into a sea of mud. Here, the water used to lie in Høvringsvatten. Beneath the apparently dry surface, a sea of mud now reveals itself to you. Photo: Eirik Rognaldsen / news – It is a death trap, and is experienced as very brutal. Now Fossheim and the country’s sheep farmers demand that the licensing authorities (NVE) take responsibility for animal welfare. – The areas where problems can arise from experience should be fenced off, and that must then be the regulator’s responsibility. ON THE WAY DOWN: Sheep on the way down into the severely depleted water reservoir in Botnedalsvatnet in Tokke in Telemark in August this year. Photo: Veronica Westhrin / news Believes the areas must be fenced off It is very serious when the sheep lose their main water source, Fossheim believes. – Norwegian animal husbandry is based on letting the animals go outside. NVE must include grazing animals’ use of the water areas as an element in the license conditions. He points out that this is necessary to ensure that the animals get water when there is a drought. REACTS: Per Fossheim represents the majority of Norwegian sheep and goat farmers and fears for animal welfare as a result of severely depleted water reservoirs. Photo: Alexander Nordby / news – So it’s not money we’re asking for here, it’s simply animal welfare. And that the disadvantages of the regulation are covered up. Problem in several places This year, the most cases of sheep getting stuck are in southern Norway. In the past, the messages have come from Trøndelag. NVE is responsible for setting the license conditions. In the hydropower concessions, they do not require that the water reservoir be fenced off in its entirety, they write in an e-mail to news. It only applies in areas that must be fenced off for safety reasons. For example around the intakes to the power plant. – It will be very challenging to fence in a water reservoir in its entirety, since a fence will have major negative consequences. Fencing will, for example, reduce access to the water in connection with fishing, access by boat, the right of way in general, drinking for animals, etc., says senior adviser Brit Torill Haugen. Saved the sheep During the rescue operation in Evje and Hornes this summer, the student Martens got hold of the sheep farmer Randi Knutsen. She immediately rushed out to help. – Then it went quite quickly. Luckily. She has been involved in this before, so she knows what the technique is like, explains Martens. She is upset that the sheep are struggling. RESCUED: In the end, Thea Skranefjell Martens and the sheep farmer rescued the sheep that had become stuck looking for water. Photo: Private – It will be quite painful for them to lie there for several hours or days, and possibly not get free. Sheep farmer Knutsen hopes for a normal water level in the future. – I think we should have a natural water level, she concludes. DESPERATE: Sheep farmer, Randi Knutsen, is distraught that the water level in the reservoir is so low and fears for his animals. Photo: Eirik Rognaldsen / news
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Sheep must be saved – news Vestfold and Telemark – Local news, TV and radio
