Orphaned lambs warm up in cozy sweaters knitted by volunteers

Each year, Auchingarrich Wildlife Park adopts a number of lambs from farms - often when a ewe has a larger litter than expected, or if she sadly passes away.

When a mother gives birth to three or four lambs, the weaker babies will struggle to get milk, and require bottle feeding five times per day.

Typically, the milk of their mother will keep the lambs warm - but as this isn't an option, park staff have come up with an ingenious solution.

Volunteers meet each week throughout spring to knit sweaters for the lambs as they grow up.

A staff member at Auchingarrich Wildlife Park said: "A ewe is only able to feed two lambs at a time, so when they have three or four, the weaker ones struggle to get sufficient milk.

"They become ‘pets or bottle babies’ meaning someone has to feed them every couple of hours - a task not relished by farmers at this time of year.

"We help by taking these cute cabe lambs and feeding them five feeds from 6.00am until 10pm daily.

"When a lamb gets cold outside, the mother’s milk will help warm it.

"Our lambs don’t have this option, so to help keep them warm, we put them in little jumpers.

"We are often short of jumpers so we have a knit and natter group each Wednesday where we offer bottomless tea or coffee for anyone making jumpers for our little lambs."

So far this year, they have knitted two blue sweaters for 5-day old Miss Chief and Menace, and one Union Jack sweater for 2-day old Jackie - a staff favorite.

They added: "Jackie is a fabulous Cheviot X, known for those large sticky up ears.

"She's a particular favorite of ours."

The park also offer lamb-feeding sessions every day, where visitors can help bottle-feed the babies.