The National Trust Reports Son of RamCam Born Live on LambCam

SWINDON, England, March 16, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --

A ewe that was tupped in a video made as part of the National Trust's MyFarm* project has, nearly five months later, given birth on camera too.

The Portland ewe, unimaginatively named '3462' after her tag number, shot to prominence after starring in MyFarm's 'RamCam' video.

RamCam saw Peacland Paolo, a Portland ram, fitted with a horn-mounted webcam as he went out for the tupping season at Wimpole Home Farm, the home of MyFarm, last November. 

In his first tup, Paolo took a special shine to experienced ewe number 3462, one of 30 ewes in his field for the tup. The video has been viewed more than 18,000 times on YouTube.

As the end of the 145-day gestation period drew nearer, the MyFarm team moved the ewe into a lambing pen fitted with another webcam.

On Sunday evening, viewers on the MyFarm website saw the as-yet unnamed 'Son of RamCam' born into the world.

MyFarm Project Manager, Andrew Cock-Starkey, said: "First RamCam and now LambCam have been great fun and we hope people have enjoyed watching them. 

"Though it's all done slightly tongue in cheek - and we've had lots of pun fun with titles like RamCam and EweTube - there is a serious message too. 

"Carbon footprints, food miles and food provenance are becoming more and more important both to consumers and the industry.

"Most people have eaten lamb, still more will have heard of the lambing season at farms but I'd wager not many knew what the tupping season was. 

"Through the MyFarm project we want to involve people in farming and where their food comes from.

"MyFarm members vote on key decisions that affect the future of the farm. 

"If Paolo, ewe 3462 and their son help us teach people that British lamb born in the Spring is available to eat in Autumn, and not in the next few weeks as most people think, then they've done their job."

The lamb's birth was amongst the first at the home of MyFarm, Home Farm on the Wimpole Estate in Cambridgeshire. It signals the start of the farm's lambing season that starts on Saturday 17 March and runs through to Sunday 5 April. Home Farm is open to the public and is expecting around 40,000 visitors during the five week period.

Andrew Cock-Starkey added: "Lambing is a very busy but hugely enjoyable time on the farm and the farm staff work really hard to share the goings on with the public.

"It's quite a magical thing to see a lamb that's a few hours or even minutes old and lucky visitors may even see a birth for themselves. 

"For those that don't we suggest they keep an eye our MyFarm webcams. We've had pigs farrowing recently and even a rare Bagot goat having twin kids all live on camera."

For more information on MyFarm visit http://www.my-farm.org.uk.

Notes to Editors:

* The MyFarm experiment launched on 4 May 2011.  Based at the National Trust's own working farm, Wimpole Home Farm in Cambridgeshire, Farm Manager Richard Morris sets regular decisions to subscribers who then debate and vote on topics to include crops, livestock and wider impacts. 

About The National Trust:

The National Trust is one of the most important nature conservation organisations in Europe with over 1,000 sites covering 250,000 hectares, including coastal sites, countryside places, woodland and upland areas; many of which are rich in wildlife. All 17 species of UK bat have been recorded as roosting or breeding on National Trust land and 96 per cent of all resident UK butterflies can be found on National Trust property. The Trust offers many ideas for family days out, including a selection of Easter events at locations across Britain.

For further information contact:
Steve Field
Assistant Press Officer
The National Trust
Heelis
Kemble Drive
Swindon
SN2 2NA
+44(0)1793-817740
http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk

SOURCE The National Trust