Video: Dirt Biker Confronts Ram, Part Two
OutdoorHub Reporters 09.09.13
Last month we posted a video of a chance meeting between a dirt biker and a very irate ram. Since then, the video went on to become viral with over a million views on YouTube. As it turns out, there is quite a bit of backstory to the biker’s encounter with the aggressive sheep.
According to The Mirror, the animal now known humorously as “Rambro” started life at a plantation in Nelson, New Zealand. Its previous owner decided to let it loose, where it presumably terrorized visitors and small animals. Since New Zealand has relatively few large predators outside of feral cats, the ram has taken upon itself to stake out a territory in Nelson. Marty Todd, the dirt biker in the video, said the old ram attacked pig hunting dogs in the past. This record of bad behavior and the threat of a few broken bones hasn’t stopped Todd from seeking out the ram. On their latest encounter, Todd even strapped a GoPro camera to the sheep in hopes of capturing a day in the life of Rambro.
The animal returns the favor by breaking Todd’s bike, camera, and perhaps even a shin bone. It goes without saying, but we’ll say it anyway: don’t ever try this at home. It’s not smart, nor at all the safe, proper, and ethical way to observe wildlife.
Rambro belongs to a rare breed of sheep called the Arapawa sheep. Since New Zealand has no natural land mammals, it is believed that Arapawa sheep originally came from Australia or European settlers, escaping and becoming feral on the island of Arapawa in New Zealand. Decades later, an effort was made to rescue these animals for the unique genetic characteristics these sheep may have, such as a natural resistance to myiasis, or infestation of fly maggots. Although many Arapawa sheep are now kept by ranchers, it seems that some still prefer the wild.
