Lamb named Zoom after being born during group video chat

A lamb has been given the name Zoom after it was born while the farmer was on a video chat with friends.

Rachael Caton, from near Malham, was supposed to be dialling into a video chat with a group of eight school friends, all originally from Yorkshire but now spread across different parts of the world including Spain and Singapore.

But with lambing season in full swing at Otterburn Lodge and around 30 or 40 ewes giving birth on the farm each day, she ended up combining the call with her farming duties.

“I’m in the lambing shed 24 hours a day, more less,” Mrs Caton told the PA news agency.

“I thought it would be a shame to miss out on talking to the guys, so I thought ‘we’ve got WiFi in the lambing shed, I’ll do it from here’.”

For the rest of the friends on the call, the backdrop provided an unusual soundtrack for their catch-up call.

Fiona Kyle, from Skipton, told PA: “For the whole call whoever was speaking, you could just hear sheep.”

When Mrs Caton told her friends the lamb had started to be birthed, she angled her phone in such a way as to allow everyone to see it appear.

“She was trying to show us while the lamb was halfway out,” Mrs Kyle said. “We all got a little look, then everybody else was talking for a bit and suddenly she said ‘the lamb’s out!’ – and there it was.

“Everyone from all round the world was watching with bated breath and then there it was.”

Although an everyday occurrence for Mrs Caton, she was pleased her friends could witness the moment.

“It was quite exciting,” she said. “They could literally see her having the lamb. It was nice.”

Mrs Kyle suggested naming the lamb Zoom after the app they were talking on during the birth.

“Rachael loved it, so Zoom it was,” she said.

Zoom is happy and healthy, and looks set for a long and happy life on the farm.

Mrs Caton said: “Normally we would sell our female lambs for breeding to other farmers, but because the kids have taken a shine to her I think she might be staying here.”