Because of our current sermon series, “The Lord is my Shepherd”, I have been doing a lot of reading about sheep to have a better understanding of the 23rd Psalm. All of the shepherd imagery is fascinating and reading articles/books about shepherding and sheep in the Middle East has been really insightful.
I came across an article about a young rhino named Gertjie and his unlikely friend, a Thaba Manzi Pedi lamb named appropriately, Lammie. Gertjie was just a baby when his mother was killed by a poacher. He was taken to a specialized rehabilitation center but there were fears about his survival. Baby rhinos need the attachment with their mothers to thrive. The keepers introduced him to “Lammie” a young lamb brought in at just 3 weeks old. They bonded immediately. In the video below you can see them playing together and I can’t help but laugh to watch a young rhino trying to mimic the movements of a young lamb. It has been 2 years since they met and now Lammie is often used as a surrogate mother to orphan rhinos or elephants that are brought in. It is amazing how she seems to care for the needs of the animals that are scared or alone. It is fitting to think of a story where the sheep is “shepherding” other animals. Just as we have a Shepherd who cares for all of our needs, we in turn, need to care for others. Enjoy the video and remember the joy that comes from caring for someone else!
(FYI – though Lammie may look like a goat, she is a sheep. Interesting trivia – one of the ways that you can tell the difference between sheep and goats is that typically sheep tails hang down and goat tails are up. I have tried to think of some theological ties to make to that fact, but have come up empty!)
