Kiwi as! The Southland farmer's 'Lambulance' helping sick animals

Wrey's Bush farmer Bradley Stewart came up with the crafty idea to turn one of his vehicles in an ambulance for animals as a way to transport animals around the paddock. Photo / Anna McFarlane

A Southland farm's "Kiwi as" animal transporter has warmed the hearts of New Zealanders after an image of the "Lambulance" was posted online.

Wrey's Bush farmer Bradley Stewart came up with the crafty idea to turn one of his vehicles in an ambulance for animals a couple of years ago as a way to transport animals around the paddock.

Anna McFarlane, who works on the farm, told the Herald the idea was a fun way to transport any animals in need of extra care and allows the farmers to give the lambs the best care possible.

"If a mother can't feed all her lambs we use the Lambulance to pick up the ones that miss out and take them home and feed them ourselves.

"If the mother doesn't want to or the lambs are sick we pop then in the wee boxes and take them home so we can provide extra care before transporting them back to the paddocks."

Currently, the farm at Wrey's Bush has 40 pet lambs, with many taking a shine to the Lambulance.

McFarlane says the lambs are happy to be picked up in the Lambulance and they often travel in pairs.

The lambulance transports lambs that need extra care. Photo / Supplied

"The lambs love it. You put them in there and they warm up in the wee box. Sometimes a few will travel in the Lambulance and they enjoy the warmth being together. We have straw in there to keep them happy."

It's not the first time Kiwi farmers have been in the spotlight for their quirky inventions.

In July Taupō farmer Josh Jackson came up with a "Kiwi as" way to herd sheep between paddocks.

The farmer was trying to round up one particular sheep on his arm when he decided to take a slightly different approach.

When you're too tired to change paddocks so you hitch a ride with old mate Josh Jackson. Photo / Josh Jackson

Not wanting his dogs to scare or trample the sheep, he decided to let his woolly friend ride shotgun, putting him in the passenger seat of his Polaris Ranger.

"I had the dogs on the back and I didn't want to be too rough with the sheep and tie it up or have the dogs stand on him," Jackson told the Herald.

"So I thought, oh well, I'll try stick him in the front seat and see how that goes.

"I put the seat belt on him and it held him in there quite well and he didn't kick or anything. He seemed quite happy so I just went with it."