During the fury of Storm Isha, a lamb entered the world at ARK Wildlife & Dinosaur Park in Stickney, Lincolnshire. Found by staff in a field, the rare Soay lamb was cold, isolated, and teetering on the edge of survival.
In a gesture honoring both the lamb’s resilience and the storm that marked its birth, Jamie and Michelle Mintram, proprietors of the park, christened the determined creature “Stormzy,” paying homage to the famed UK rapper. Mr. Mintram affectionately remarked, “He is a little fighter,” encapsulating Stormzy’s spirit and tenacity in the face of adversity.
Mr. Mintram’s research reveals a concerning statistic: there are only approximately 900 breeding female Soay sheep left.
Although primarily a sanctuary for crocodiles, wildcats, and raccoons, the park recently provided refuge to Stormzy’s mother when the field she grazed in became flooded a few months prior.
The unexpected arrival of Stormzy, now receiving care in their home, caught everyone off guard. Mr. Mintram explained, “Storm Isha had hit the previous night, so the keepers were doing early morning checks, making sure everyone was okay.”
Describing the moment of discovery, Mr. Mintram recounted, “One of the keepers saw this little bundle in the middle of the field. At first, she thought it was a rabbit. When she got closer, she realized it was a baby lamb.”
Upon receiving the news via radio, Mr. Mintram sought confirmation. “I was like, ‘are you sure?’ She [the mother] is so fluffy you wouldn’t be able to tell she was pregnant. We also didn’t know that she had been with male sheep in her previous home.”
Stormzy, born during the height of Storm Isha and left exposed throughout the night, faced a challenging start to life. “The poor little guy was born at the height of Isha,” Mr. Mintram lamented.
Tragically, it’s believed that the fierce winds of Storm Isha unsettled Stormzy’s mother, leading her to abandon him.
Mr. Mintram recounted the distressing scene: “When we found him, he was rather a poorly little thing.” The odds seemed stacked against Stormzy’s survival. “He wasn’t moving,” Mr. Mintram elaborated. “He felt cold. We thought the inevitable was going to happen.”
In a bid to improve his chances, staff attempted to reunite Stormzy with his mother, but she showed no interest in him. Likewise, Stormzy failed to bond with his mother, prompting the team to step in.
For the past few days, Mrs. Mintram has devoted herself to feeding Stormzy every two hours with formula milk. “We managed to get food into him,” Mr. Mintram shared. “It was only a few grams to start with, but with each feed, he seemed to gain more strength.”
Looking ahead, Mr. Mintram is considering introducing a “companion lamb” for Stormzy. He explained that it will be some time before Stormzy can mingle with mature sheep, as they might intimidate him.