Drivers and pedestrians in Chicago’s West Loop area experienced an unusual traffic hazard when a sheep ran loose through the city’s streets.
The sheep was spotted running through traffic near the Fulton Market District on Monday, and several witnesses captured video of the animal being pursued by apparent slaughterhouse employees.
Social media users reported the sheep had apparently escaped from the Halsted Packing House by crashing through a window.
Chicago Animal Care and Control personnel were able to corral the sheep and load it into their van. They did not have an adequate facility to house such an animal, however, so it was taken to Chicago Chicken Rescue in the Woodlawn neighborhood on the city’s South Side.
Christina Zelano, the rescue’s co-founder, said the sheep is the first of its species to come to the rescue in its 15 years of operation.
“He was at a slaughterhouse in Chicago, and managed to escape and find his way to the main administrative office, and then smashed through a glass window and ended up roaming the streets of Chicago,” Zelano told CBS Chicago.
She said the sheep’s origins were confirmed by a slaughterhouse marking on its back.
Zelano said she is now trying to find a new home where the sheep can live out the rest of its life in comfort.
“We’re looking for a home for the sheep, a more permanent home, on a farm that has other sheep,” she said.
