WOULD ewe believe it!

Animal rustlers seem to have made an unlikely ewe-turn and dropped a sheep home, four months after she went missing.

Dartmoor ewe Rose was stolen from the Salvation Army Rare Breed's centre just before Christmas.

So it was a case of "lovely to see ewe again" when farm manager Simon Gibson found her waiting at the gate when he arrived for work yesterday morning.

He said: "I couldn't believe it. She is a bit thin and muddy and her feet are overgrown, but she is eating and drinking normally."

Rose, born last April, became the third animal in three years to be stolen from the farm in Castle Lane, Hadleigh when she vanished on December 22. The other animals taken were a lamb and a goat. She is the only one to have been returned.

Mr Gibson said: "I never thought we'd see her again and I'm very surprised they bought her back."

He believes Rose, valued at about £100, was taken for a Christmas present and probably kept in a garden, but he reckons the thieves realised sheep don't make good pets.

He said: "A lot of people think they will eat their lawn down, but that's not enough for a sheep and it's not fair on them to be away from other sheep."

Rose will be kept in isolation for a week in case she has picked up any infections on her travels, but visitors to the farm will still be able to see her.

All's wool that ends wool...