Paris -- At least 6,000 sheep and six shepherds have been stranded in the French Alps since Saturday after a surprise snowfall.
France is experiencing exceptionally cold temperatures. Nearly 20 inches of snow has fallen in the Savoie region. A local official said the last time the region saw this amount of snow in September was 1974.
A rescue operation began on Sunday to save the sheep as well as a hundred cows stuck in the snow at an altitude of 6,200 feet. Local authorities transported six tons of hay to the stranded sheep, which had not eaten in 36 hours.
Thanks to the operation, some 1,000 animals were evacuated. Warmer weather on Tuesday allowed the sheep to eat the grass in places where the snow melted. More snowfall, however, is expected on Thursday.