A study last year found that there are seven sheep for every person in New Zealand, something that fans of George Orwell’s Animal Farm may consider a rather worrying ratio.

What that statistic makes clear, other than just how ridiculous it is that the Kiwis thump the rest of the world at rugby with such a small population, is that looking after these woolly wanderers can be something of an uphill battle. Enter the humble drone, one farmer’s ingenious method of keeping his flock under control on New Zealand’s South Island. This from the Telegraph:

Farmer Brett Sanders has 2,000 merino ewes and has been using the device to help move his flock between pastures on his 29,000-acre farm for the past 18 months.

“It’s a stress free way of doing things, and saves time in the process,” Mr Sanders said.

Using a horn attached to the drone, Mr Sanders rounds up the sheep and gets them moving, before meeting the mob on his motorbike with his dog.