Chaotic scenes as hundreds of sheep run through village
This incredible video captures the chaotic scenes as more than 200 sheep brought traffic in a small town in the Yorkshire Dales to a standstill.
Wayne Hutchinson recorded the incredible sight of the flock of Swaledale Ewes storming through the narrow streets of Hawes, North Yorks.
The sheep can be seen being herded from their farm to moorland above the village, a common practice during winter months.
They are followed by a farmer on a quad bike and his border collie, who keeps the sheep in line as they pause to chew on grass.
Wayne said: “These ewes are ‘hefted’ to this ground, meaning they know and live on this open moor, on their own particular patch, not held in by fence.
“Many generations of sheep from this flock will have made this journey, with lambs learning the route from their mothers, who learnt it from their mothers, an unbroken modern ‘migration’ pattern for this flock.
“A farmer goes on ahead to warn oncoming traffic, but the sheep know their way to the high wild moorland, where they call home.
“These sheep will stay up on the moors until early spring when they are brought down again for lambing in April.”
A video shared by Wayne on social media has been viewed more than one million times.
One user commented: “There is nothing in the world more satisfying than watching a good sheep dog at work.”
Another said: “I love the ‘ooh look, there’s grass’ moment on the corner and the dog coming in saying ‘oh no you don’t! On you go ladies’. Fabulous.”
A third added: “Brilliant drone footage and brilliant farmer and sheep dog.”
A fourth said: “Is there any more magnificent sight than a farmer and collie in perfect harmony herding sheep?
“Also love the way the sheep stop off at the green for a quick nibble of grass.”
Wayne Hutchinson recorded the incredible sight of the flock of Swaledale Ewes storming through the narrow streets of Hawes, North Yorks.
SWNS
“We booked $70k five-month cruise around the world for our entire family”
Meet parents who have splashed out $70k on a five-month cruise around the world for their entire family.
Mark Baker, 40, and his wife, Tiffany, 39, decided to pull their daughters – Giuletta, 10, Penelope, eight, and Delia, seven – out of school and embark on the adventure of a lifetime.
The cruise ship will call at 52 ports in 21 countries – including South Africa, Madagascar and Argentina – across five different continents.
The pair are homeschooling their children and working remotely while they are onboard the ship – which set off from Marseilles, France, on January 6.
They have been on the cruise for 16 days but have already travelled to Spain, Morocco, and Cape Verde. They are currently in South America visiting Brazil.
Tiffany and Mark have spent a whopping $70k for two bedrooms on the ship – and say the cost includes activities on board, food and drink – and they’ve also given themselves a $10k spending allowance.
Mark says the family are in the “honeymoon period” of the cruise and they are already looking at booking another trip in 2026.
Mark, a real estate investor and remote travel advisor, from Terre Haute, Indiana, US, said: “We are loving it so much already.
“It is four months, you don’t have to clean, do laundry, or do a food shop.
“We have a roof over our head and we are travelling to all these incredible destinations on this beautiful ship.”
“Our family is not on vacation, we have moved onto a cruise ship,” Tiffany, a real estate investor and remote travel advisor, added.
“It’s not like everyone is partying for one week – we are living on a cruise ship for four months.
“It is important, as a family unit, to have this family time for our family – this is not a once-in-a-lifetime trip.
“I hope this is the first of many.”
On December 30, 2024, the family travelled to Marseilles, France, where the cruise set off from on January 6, 2025.
They have been on the cruise for 11 days but have been to Spain, Morocco and Cape Verde and are on their way across the Atlantic.
Tiffany said: “Once we left Spain we realised every country until Cape Town will be new to our family.
“It is so exciting that we get to do this as a family, all together, from this point forward we are exploring together.”
Mark and Tiffany said their daughters are enjoying life on the cruise and as a family, they are focusing on “interest-based learning”.
Mark said: “They are loving it, another cost we don’t have to worry about is childcare.
“There is a kids club on the ship that allows them to connect with other kids on board.
“As we were gearing to pull our daughters out of school, we spoke to a lot of families about their approach.
“They spoke about interest-based learning, finding what our daughters enjoy and leaning into that and supporting them.
“That is what we have been doing.”
While they are on the cruise, Tiffany and Mark have a property manager looking after their property portfolio.
Tiffany says she’s sick of the words “work-life balance” and wants to focus on having a life balance.
She said: “I just want to live life, I want a balanced life – that is my main focus.
“Togetherness is our main goal on the cruise, we play games all the time, we are reading books and spending lots of quality time together.”
The family are on social media at @atimerichfamily
List of destinations that the family are travelling to:
- France
- Spain
- Morocco
- Cape Verde
- Brazil
- Argentina
- Falkland Islands
- Chile
- Pitcairn
- French Polynesia
- Cook Islands
- New Zealand
- Australia
- Maldives
- Seychelles
- Madagascar
- South Africa
- Namibia
- Senegal
- Italy
“I’m a professional snake catcher despite being allergic to venom”
Meet the professional snake catcher – who is allergic to snake venom.
Siouxsie Gillett, 49, was worked with animals all her life – supplying animals to major films including Harry Potter, Ridley Scott’s Exodus, and Esio Trot.
But being bitten countless times by venomous snakes and spat at by spitting cobras over the years has caused her to develop anaphylaxis – a severe allergic reaction which could be fatal if she is bitten again.
It’s so severe that now even if she is near a cobra she finds her throat swell up and her eyes become red and swollen and is left with an irritating cough for a week.
But despite the real danger of death, she still works as a snake catcher rescuing, handling, and educating people about some of the world’s most feared reptiles.
In a bid to stay alive if she is bitten, she carries an EpiPen and ensures she is surrounded by people who are trained to rapidly treat snake bites and know how to give CPR in the event she gets bitten again.
Despite all that, when she is filming she will still handle snakes daily.
Siouxsie, from, Boston, Lincolnshire, said: “I’ve had close calls, I have been been bitten by snakes, I have been spat by at cobras, and have had close calls with Racoons and dogs – I was even bitten by a meerkat.
“It’s easier to say what I haven’t been bitten by than what I have – But I absolutely love my job!
“I’ve had close calls, but it doesn’t put me off. I love educating people about snakes and dispelling the negative myths surrounding them.”
Her fascination with misunderstood animals like snakes began during her time as a zookeeper.
“My work in the film industry even got me on camera, eventually landing me my own show called Snake City on Nat Geo Wild,” she said.
While based in the UK, Siouxsie travels extensively during snake seasons.
Her work has taken her to South Africa, where she’s renowned for removing venomous snakes, including the infamous black mamba.
She’s also spent time in India, another hotspot for dangerous reptiles such as the infamous King Cobra.
Siouxsie said: “I only go to places like South Africa for the snake-catching season,” Siouxsie explains.
“It’s not about the money – it’s about the passion.”
The last time she had exposure to venom was during a spitting cobra capture in South Africa.
The cobra spat at her and Siouxsie found that she could not breathe and her throat began swelling up.
After that incident every time she went near a cobra her symptoms would come on – and has been told by doctors that a bite would be potentially fatal.
Siouxsie said: “I rescued a dog that had been bitten by a snake – the dog was covered in venom – and I could feel my throat closing up.
“When I used to be exposed in the past I had no real symptoms so it’s definitely over exposure.
“I do try to avoid getting bitten – but it is just one of those things you have to think about.”
Aside from snake bites she has been spat at by a spitting cobra several times and has had at least three scorpion stings and several tarantula bites.
“The various bites and attacks have happened so many times I can’t remember the exact number!”
However the thing she fears most is being bitten by a black mamba – which caused an old friend to lose their life in just 80 seconds after he was unable to administer himself with an EpiPen.
“If I were bitten by a black mamba, most people would have about 45 minutes before they see symptoms – for me, it’s much quicker,” she said.
“It’s always at the back of my mind,” she said.
Despite the dangers, she said she has never been deterred from doing what she loves. .
For Siouxsie, working with animals has always been about love and passion rather than financial gain.
“Whether it’s working for zoos, doing film work, or rescuing animals, it’s not about money,” she explains. “Especially when you’re doing rescues – it’s a labor of love,” she said.
When she’s not catching snakes, Siouxsie stays busy with her TV show, film work, and educational outreach.
She says part of her mission is to defend creatures that most people fear or dislike.
Siouxsie said: “I’ve always considered them to be misunderstood – I feel sorry for them.
“There’s no deep psychological reason – I just want to dispel the negative myths people have about these incredible animals.
“My passion is so strong – I don’t think about death.”
