A lamb on the loose in downtown Cortez Tuesday morning triggered community cooperation and excitement.

The 4-month-old escaped from her trailer parked near Pippos, then sprinted down North Street, baying as she went.

Passersby sprung into action and attempted to corral her.

Tyler Begay was walking on Main Street when he saw the sheep running in the street and alley and decided to help.

“I’m a flagger, so I stopped traffic. When I got close, I dove for her but missed by 6 inches,” he said. “It was a hilarious show of the day.”

Other passersby joined in the chase. Erika Lopez and a friend were driving by and attempted to block the fleeing sheep.

The lamb’s owner, Kaleb, was able to get ahead of the animal as it veered through yards on Montezuma Avenue.

“It basically jumped into my arms from the bushes,” he said.

The lamb was uninjured, and was reloaded back onto the Lazy T ranch trailer to continue its journey to nearby pasture.