Without the global reach of the internet, answering the following question would likely be uncalculable: What are the chances of two stories about sheep on a roof being published in under a year?

With Artificial intelligence, we’ve been able to figure it out:
P(≥2 events)=1−e−λ(1+λ)≈1−e−0.365(1+0.365)≈0.0524 

The answer: There’s about a 5.2% chance of seeing two such stories within one year (thanks, ChatGPT).

Thankfully, you’re still more likely to see two “sheep on a roof” stories than being struck by lightning (those odds are roughly 0.0067%).

On Monday, the BBC reported that a sheep and three lambs were rescued from a house roof after escaping from a field and — wait for it — going on the lam to avoid capture by police in the town of Penrith, which is pretty much in the middle of nowhere in northern England. 

RELATED

Homeowner Shocked to Discover Flock of Sheep on Roof ... (The related story first ran Aug. 22, 2024)

Penrith Fire Station manager Darren Wright said he and his crew were "baffled" after arriving at a two-story property in town, about 116 miles south of Glasgow, Scotland, just before noon, where they encountered the animals perched on the roof.

With the assistance of a local farmer, ladders and reaching poles, they managed to bring them down to safety and return them to terra firma, where animals and anyone not slinging shingles rightfully belong. 

Wright said the escaped “family” had climbed onto a section of roof at the back of the house, which was just 2 feet off the ground, "to get away from police," he noted, who had been called to help round them up.

"We are called to a lot of animal rescues, but sheep on a roof was a first," he told BBC Radio Cumbria. (He hasn’t read back issues of Roofing Contractor’s Odd News section, clearly.)

"We couldn't fathom out why there would be sheep in that area in the first place and how they even got on the roof — there was a lot of confusion."

Wright said the animals had escaped from a nearby pasture, and while this was a first for the fireman, RC readers can take pride in being roughly 5% of the approximately 8 billion people who have now seen this story and not been shocked. 

Now, play the Lotto!