Friday Funny: Sheep Protest Against Urban Sprawl

"n a weekend of street rallies in Spain -- Basques demanding independence, right-wingers nostalgic for the late Francisco Franco, pyramid-scheme investors who lost bundles -- on Sunday it was time for sheep to come forward and bleat.

A 700-strong, bell-tinkling flock meandered through stately downtown boulevards -- now home to McDonald's, Starbuck's and such, a far cry from the very old days of inns and straw -- in a demonstration called by farmers who say urban sprawl is eroding ancient routes used to transport the woolly critters from one pasture to another.

The pungent-smelling protest, also featuring donkeys, horses and humans in old-fashioned garb from rural areas of Spain, was in its 14th year and called on authorities to protect Spain's 78,000 miles (125,000 kilometers) of paths used for seasonal movement of livestock from cool, highland pastures in summer to lower-lying ones in winter."