Reilly and Paisley, two Scottish Blackface lambs, were born March 11 and 12, respectively, at Busch Gardens and are part of the 12-sheep herd born at the park.
Reilly’s name means outgoing, inspired by her personality.
“From the moment she was born she walked right up to us,” said Stephanie Peters, animal care specialist at Busch Gardens.
Paisley was born to a sheep named Isla who was named by park guests. Like her mother, Paisley was recently named by fans of the Busch Gardens Facebook page.
The lambs know their mothers by their calls. From the time the lambs are in utero, they start learning the mother’s voice. When the sheep start having contractions, they talk to the babies, said Anita Yeattes, supervisor of zoological operations at Busch Gardens.
The sheep at Busch Gardens are highly trained. Border Collies herd the sheep through the park as guests walk around. Some sheep are trained to put on and take off a halter, jump up on tree stumps, to follow workers and pose for pictures.
Workers are training sheep to stand still for shearing so they do not have to be held on their backs like normal sheep; they’re also being trained for voluntary hoof trimmings, like nail clippings, and to have their eyes checked. All the sheep are trained to stand on a scale to be weighed.
