Police subdued a rampaging sheep by shooting it with a taser gun, it emerged today.
Officers deployed the firearm after the animal was spotted endangering motorists by running across the A30 near Okehampton, Devon.
A spokesman for Devon and Cornwall Police said: ”Officers attended and after trying various other methods were unable to contain the ram and prevent it from running into the carriageway, which it did on three separate occasions causing a danger to road users.
“Taser was subsequently deployed successfully and the ram was secured.”
Details of the incident were released under a Freedom Of Information request. It was one of 32 occasions in 2012 when cops in north Devon resorted to tasers.
The data also showed police in the area shot a dog and a 15-year-old boy whose “eyes became squinted as if ready to attack officers.”
Two women were zapped but the majority of cases involved male offenders, police said.