Gwynedd: Sheep rescued after 10 days stuck in mine shaft

A sheep has been roped to safety by a rescue team after getting trapped in a mine shaft for more than a week.

Two members of the Aberglaslyn Mountain Rescue Team (AMRT) lowered themselves into the shaft near Nantlle in Gwynedd at midday on Tuesday.

They were called after a farmer alerted North Wales Police.

The sheep had been stuck for approximately 10 days and had lost a considerable amount of weight, the team said.

A number of volunteers went to the scene to try to figure out the best way to rescue the sheep, "without spooking it further into the shaft," AMRT said in a statement.

"A full rope system was put in place with two volunteers lowered into the shaft," it said.

"After a short struggle, the animal, which unbelievably still had a large amount of stamina, was caught and placed in a bag for safe removal from the shaft... before being handed over to the farmer."

The rescue team said it was "quite clear that the sheep would have perished in the shaft" had it not intervened.