Gumleaf
April 4th, 2009, 09:07 PM
11:30 AEST Sun Apr 5 2009
Safety arrangements at New Zealand's answer to Spain's Running of the Bulls — the Running of the Sheep — are under review after hundreds of the animals ran amok through a country town, injuring a spectator.
The sheep leapt over barriers designed to keep them on the main street of Te Kuiti and protect 7000 spectators who turned up to watch the annual event yesterday.
All semblance of order broke down with the sheep crossing the main road and a railway track before heading into the hills.
One woman was taken to hospital after being knocked unconscious when she was bowled over by the frightened sheep.
Only 400 of the nearly 1500 sheep let loose kept to the planned route and crossed the finish line, helped on by Prime Minister John Key.
Organiser John Fagan said he was sorry the woman was injured when the sheep ran amok.
"Obviously we do our best to see they don't," he said.
He added the sheep run would be back next year subject to some changes.
"We plan to have the street wider at that end so the gap down the middle of the street is more inviting for the sheep to run down," he told 3News.
© AAP 2009
Safety arrangements at New Zealand's answer to Spain's Running of the Bulls — the Running of the Sheep — are under review after hundreds of the animals ran amok through a country town, injuring a spectator.
The sheep leapt over barriers designed to keep them on the main street of Te Kuiti and protect 7000 spectators who turned up to watch the annual event yesterday.
All semblance of order broke down with the sheep crossing the main road and a railway track before heading into the hills.
One woman was taken to hospital after being knocked unconscious when she was bowled over by the frightened sheep.
Only 400 of the nearly 1500 sheep let loose kept to the planned route and crossed the finish line, helped on by Prime Minister John Key.
Organiser John Fagan said he was sorry the woman was injured when the sheep ran amok.
"Obviously we do our best to see they don't," he said.
He added the sheep run would be back next year subject to some changes.
"We plan to have the street wider at that end so the gap down the middle of the street is more inviting for the sheep to run down," he told 3News.
© AAP 2009