BS: Sheep Herding Rabbit

Subject: BS: Sheep Herding Rabbit
From: Alice
Date: 30 Jan 12 - 08:45 PM

I added this link to the Run Rabbit Run song thread, but I thought those in BS-land may enjoy this video of a sheep herding rabbit (and the song "Run Rabbit Run").


http://youtu.be/qeuL5IGimCQ



Alice

Subject: RE: BS: Sheep Herding Rabbit
From: Bill D
Date: 30 Jan 12 - 08:59 PM

What is REALLY funny is the dog in the background, studying his technique!

Subject: RE: BS: Sheep Herding Rabbit
From: Alice
Date: 30 Jan 12 - 09:07 PM

Flanagan & Allen recording of the song is the soundtrack.

Subject: RE: BS: Sheep Herding Rabbit
From: Bobert
Date: 30 Jan 12 - 09:20 PM

Cool...

B~

Subject: RE: BS: Sheep Herding Rabbit
From: Charley Noble
Date: 31 Jan 12 - 08:12 AM

The rabbit seems really into herding sheep, which reminds me of this old Pogo routine:

"Do you herd sheep?" my brother asked.
My Gramma lept in fright;
"Your brother's wrong," Gramma said,
"'Have you heard sheep' is right!"

Back to more wool-gathering.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: BS: Sheep Herding Rabbit
From: Crowhugger
Date: 31 Jan 12 - 11:38 AM

Wow, that's amazing! The rabbit is acting almost entirely like a border collie. Equally amazing to me is that the sheep take it seriously. What a lesson how loudly body language speaks.

Thanks, Alice!! What a gas...

Subject: RE: BS: Sheep Herding Rabbit
From: Charley Noble
Date: 31 Jan 12 - 11:42 AM

Sometimes the sheep are just following the farmhand with the feed bucket but at other times the little rabbit certainly seems to be into herding them.

Charley Noble

Subject: RE: BS: Sheep Herding Rabbit
From: GUEST,Eliza
Date: 31 Jan 12 - 11:43 AM

But why does the rabbit do it? Does it see the sheep as a threat on its territory? Any rabbit experts know how they tick?

Subject: RE: BS: Sheep Herding Rabbit
From: MGM·Lion
Date: 31 Jan 12 - 11:47 AM

No, he doesn't seem to see them as a threat or rent them in any way, Eliza; but, as I read the body language on both sides, genuinely seems to have a relationship of control towards them.

~M~

Subject: RE: BS: Sheep Herding Rabbit
From: MGM·Lion
Date: 31 Jan 12 - 11:48 AM

I meant 'resent', not 'rent'. Sorry

Subject: RE: BS: Sheep Herding Rabbit
From: Ebbie
Date: 31 Jan 12 - 12:26 PM

Rabbits are not as mild and meek as often thought. Two of my brothers raised them.

One buck had a running (no pun intended) battle with a mean rooster. One day he was unrelenting in his pursuit of the rooster. My brothers saw the rooster cawing and leaping and running while behind him tore the rabbit, white feathers protruding from his mouth.

Subject: RE: BS: Sheep Herding Rabbit
From: Penny S.
Date: 31 Jan 12 - 01:10 PM

I saw a buck rabbit see a stoat off from the warren in a Kentish wood.

Penny

Subject: RE: BS: Sheep Herding Rabbit
From: GUEST,Desert Dancer on son's computer
Date: 31 Jan 12 - 01:17 PM

That's funny, my sister linked that on Facebook on another site, with another song ("Rawhide!"): click

The YouTube post links this Swedish blog, which has more background on the critters (in Swedish, but with pics).

~ Becky in Tucson

Subject: RE: BS: Sheep Herding Rabbit
From: gnu
Date: 31 Jan 12 - 02:12 PM

Sheep scared of dog. Dog friends with rabbit. Sheep scared of rabbit. Smart sheep.

Subject: RE: BS: Sheep Herding Rabbit
From: Greg B
Date: 31 Jan 12 - 03:33 PM

Shouldn't the thread be titled "Rabbit Herding Sheep?"

Subject: RE: BS: Sheep Herding Rabbit
From: GUEST
Date: 31 Jan 12 - 03:52 PM

Amazing. What control that Dog has.
I've watched baby Bunnies at play and they chase and run with each other. I have noted an element of "herding" at times. I've also seen a wild Rabbit run up to a herd of Cows and have them back up and bunch together. Rabbit lost interest quickly and went on its way. Wild Australian animals and birds in my care often play together. I had a baby Magpie who got into teasing a pair of Wallaby joeys until they chased her. Then she'd turn and chase them. I think a lot of animal play goes on unobserved by humans.
Cheers, Joy

Subject: RE: BS: Sheep Herding Rabbit
From: gnu
Date: 31 Jan 12 - 04:10 PM

I agree. I watched a small red squirrel and a young spruce partridge chase each other in turn.

Subject: RE: BS: Sheep Herding Rabbit
From: Charley Noble
Date: 31 Jan 12 - 04:48 PM

There is also a current video of a magpie really playing with his favorite cat.

It's fun to play. We should do more of it!

Charley Noble

Subject: RE: BS: Sheep Herding Rabbit
From: Alice
Date: 31 Jan 12 - 11:26 PM

That's funny Greg B. "Sheep herding" in my mind was the way to describe the rabbit, and I didn't think of it being read any other way until you pointed that out. He (or she) is a herding rabbit. Just they way my mind works.

Alice

Subject: RE: BS: Sheep Herding Rabbit
From: Alice
Date: 31 Jan 12 - 11:32 PM

oops, "Just THE way..."

Subject: RE: BS: Sheep Herding Rabbit
From: MGM·Lion
Date: 01 Feb 12 - 01:10 AM

'Sheep-herding' would have removed the ambiguity. Otherwise, logically, Greg's way-round would have been more accurate.

~M The Official Legendary Pedant~

Subject: RE: BS: Sheep Herding Rabbit
From: gnu
Date: 01 Feb 12 - 02:18 PM

I think the vid clarified the issue sufficiently. Of course, to pedants, the title would mean that a sheep was herding a rabbit. That would make no sense as a rabbit can easily outrun a sheep. On the other hand, if sheep meant a flock of sheep, the sheep could herd a rabbit. But, I really don't understand why a flock of sheep would be so inclined. After all, it's just one rabbit and it doesn't eat much grass and sheep are lazy. Of course, if we do take the title at such inference, it sould read "Flock of sheep herding rabbit."

Did youse read that? Okay. I'll flock off now.

Subject: RE: BS: Sheep Herding Rabbit
From: Greg B
Date: 01 Feb 12 - 02:56 PM

I figured the dog was thinking "Let me at him. I'll soon put things right." (If it was a Union dog, he'd have gone right after the rabbit that was taking his job, unless of course the rabbit was in an allied union, then he'd file a grievance.) Since he seems to be a border collie, I'd say that it's the owner who has control, not the dog. Good dogs, those.

Subject: RE: BS: Sheep Herding Rabbit
From: Charley Noble
Date: 01 Feb 12 - 03:18 PM

Greg-

Yes, but they die early from ulcers.

Charley Noble

Subject: RE: BS: Sheep Herding Rabbit
From: Gurney
Date: 01 Feb 12 - 10:13 PM

I didn't see it as herding (flocking?) the sheep. I thought he just wanted them to run so that he could race them, as he did at one stage.

Subject: RE: BS: Sheep Herding Rabbit
From: Alice
Date: 01 Feb 12 - 11:15 PM

Now I'm sorry I even posted it, as everything seems to turn into an argument on Mudcat now. I may stay away for another year and check back in 2013.

Subject: RE: BS: Sheep Herding Rabbit
From: gnu
Date: 02 Feb 12 - 02:09 PM

It won't change.

Subject: RE: BS: Sheep Herding Rabbit
From: Charley Noble
Date: 02 Feb 12 - 02:13 PM

More the pity.

I enjoyed watching what the rabbit was doing.

Charley Noble

Subject: RE: BS: Sheep Herding Rabbit
From: katlaughing
Date: 02 Feb 12 - 02:14 PM

It seems a pretty mild argument, compared to others I've seen/moderated.

I really enjoyed the extra links with photos of the rabbit and translation of the Swedish message to all its fans. Thanks for posting the original, Alice!

kat

Subject: RE: BS: Sheep Herding Rabbit
From: Noreen
Date: 02 Feb 12 - 05:53 PM

Argument? What argument? I've enjoyed the different points of view above, looks like a good-natured discussion to me.

(Unless there were posts deleted I didn't see?)

Subject: RE: BS: Sheep Herding Rabbit
From: gnu
Date: 02 Feb 12 - 07:31 PM

The arguement is in the mind of the readerssss.

Subject: RE: BS: Sheep Herding Rabbit
From: Greg B
Date: 03 Feb 12 - 04:32 PM

Alice--- no it doesn't.

Subject: RE: BS: Sheep Herding Rabbit
From: gnu
Date: 03 Feb 12 - 04:43 PM

I use to enjoy watching Jack (who was not a Jack Rabbit but it seemed a fitting name) up at my camp. He was quite a size and would take on all comers. If you have never seen buck rabbits fight, it's quite something. Acrobatics galore. I don't care to watch any animals fight... except rabbits. It's more a test of physical avoidance and very acrobatic. A test of stamina rather than bloody combat.

Subject: RE: BS: Sheep Herding Rabbit
From: Charley Noble
Date: 04 Feb 12 - 09:36 AM

Evidently this Swedish video has attracted more than 700,000 views.

The story I read this morning suggested that the rabbit had been observing the behavior of the border collie with the sheep, and thought that he was a border collie as well. The sheep certainly seem to have accepted the rabbit as a mini-border collie.

Charley Noble

Subject: RE: BS: Sheep Herding Rabbit
From: Arkie
Date: 04 Feb 12 - 10:59 PM

Alice, thanks for posting this. I have enjoyed it several times and forwarded to other who got as much a kick out it as I did.

Subject: RE: BS: Sheep Herding Rabbit
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 04 Feb 12 - 11:33 PM

me, too - one of my friends was indifferent to rabbits until she inherited her mother's rabbit, now she is an addict. It's the familiar sad story, she just tried one & now look where she is!

The video was mentioned in one of eh Sunday papers here today as a video to search for.

sandra

Subject: RE: BS: Sheep Herding Rabbit
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 05 Feb 12 - 08:09 PM

And the rabbit now has a headline on the front US News page at MSNBC.

The headline link goes to:

'King of the farm': Sheep-herding rabbit gains fame

By msnbc.com staff

A rabbit that rounds up sheep on a small farm in northern Sweden is rapidly gaining a following on the Internet, with more than 650,00 views in the past week on YouTube.

Even the owners are a little perplexed by the herding skills of the self-taught bunny, which may have learned its techniques by watching its border collie friends.

"He learnt these skills himself, we had nothing to do with it," Greta Vigren, the rabbit's owner told The Local, an English language website based in Sweden.

"He surely has seen the dogs doing it before, but really, Champis thinks he is the king of the farm, and that he owns the sheep."
The video, "Champis - the herding rabbit" in English, was filmed at the farm by a friend of the owners, Dan Westman, a sheepdog breeder who also writes a blog.

Westman has no idea why the video of the rabbit is so popular. "Maybe you can tell me why?" he asked The Local.

****

Chongo must be really jealous.

John

Subject: RE: BS: Sheep Herding Rabbit
From: Arkie
Date: 06 Feb 12 - 07:03 PM

Not intending to take anything away from our little rabbit friend because what it does is pretty amazing I believe, but sheep do have certain characteristics that make herding possible for rabbits, dogs, and people. The linked article explains this to some degree. There was a film making the rounds some time back showing sheep following the leader. The first sheep leaving the pen jumped over a rail. The rail was then removed but every sheep that followed jumped when they reached the opening in the pen. A college near Mountain View holds Highland Games every spring. At the Games they have a demonstration of sheep herding. In earlier years the demonstration was in a large open field and quite a thing to watch. Now the games are moved onto campus and the herding is a big disappointment to me. The demonstration takes place on a small lot and when it time for it to begin, the sheep are driven from the pen to a place about 25 yards away. When the dog appears the sheep all run back to the pen because they know what is expected and they have done it so many times. The first illustration can be taken to mean that sheep are stupid animals. The second can be interpreted to mean sheep are smart. As the article explains, sheep have s strong desire to stick together.

Nature of sheep

Subject: RE: BS: Sheep Herding Rabbit
From: Arkie
Date: 06 Feb 12 - 07:12 PM

One final thing. The following article also demonstrates the characteristic of following the leader.

Sheep jump off cliff

Subject: RE: BS: Sheep Herding Rabbit
From: gnu
Date: 06 Feb 12 - 10:16 PM

Oh my! How terrible!