Animal activists brazenly take 'the King's sheep' from Charles' Sandringham estate saying they 'rescued' them
25 May 2023, 14:09 | Updated: 25 May 2023, 18:00
Animal Rising takes lambs from Sandringham Estate
Animal rights activists claim to have taken "the King's sheep" from Charles's Sandringham estate.
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Footage shows three women in pink Animal Rising shirts running through a field and putting lambs into the back of a vehicle.
One activist calls a lamb "Sammy" and says the animal is "very loving", while they explain in the clip that they were sad they could not take the lambs' mother.
The group claims to have "rescued" them from slaughter but handed themselves in to police in Windsor on Thursday morning, carrying banners saying "I rescued the King's sheep" and "This is how we love animals".
They said they took them from Appleton Farm in Norfolk on Wednesday evening and handed them over to animal experts "who will care for them and allow them to live happily".
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One of the activists, Sarah Foy, 23, said the royals need to "lead by example" in the climate crisis and what it called the nature crisis.
"King Charles is a self-proclaimed environmentalist and nature lover, it is up to him to put right on that," she said.
"He and his family are the global representatives of a nation known for being animal lovers - they ought to show it."
She added: "Like anyone, animals want to live out their lives safely and without being used or exploited.
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"Sadly that is not the case here at Sandringham, or anywhere they are used in our food system.
"That is exactly why we rescued three sheep today - three beautiful lambs who'll now live their lives to the fullest.
"We urgently need a national conversation about our relationship with other animals and nature."
She and two other activists involved, Rosa Sharkey and Rose Patterson, were taken into custody in Maidenhead, near Windsor, Animal Rising said.
A Norfolk Police spokesman said: "Norfolk Police are investigating reports three lambs were stolen from a farm in West Newton, Norfolk.
"Three women aged in their 20s and 30s voluntarily attended a police station in Slough and were arrested on suspicion of theft.
"They remain in custody."
