#TimePassages: A Lick of Sense

Then

In Glamorgan, Wales, sheep were licking the white center lines off roads.

"Off-Beat Stories of 1972" (pg. 89); The 1973 World Almanac and Book of Facts.

Now

What's this about sheep licking cars?

Like moose in Canada, sheep are drawn to the salts and minerals that are used on roads in the winter. These materials accumulate on cars, turning them into convenient mobile salt licks for the animals. Unfortunately, cars accumulate other potentially harmful chemicals that we don't want the animals to consume. Perhaps even more important than those chemicals is the fact that you could have multiple animals licking the same car. Not good hygeine.

- The Wool Channel