First a seal, now a sheep.

Cape Elizabeth police, who in January helped secure a wayward seal wandering the streets, are now on the lookout for a runaway ram that has been spotted at Crescent Beach State Park and in nearby neighborhoods.

The ram escaped on June 11 while it and another ram were being relocated to the mainland from Richmond Island for the summer, said Claudia Richards, president of the Sprague Corp., which owns the island. In an interview Monday night, Richards said the ram bolted from the Ram Island Farm property off Route 77, which is owned by Sprague.

The animal has since managed to elude teams of local volunteers, Sprague employees and police officers who have tried to corral it.

Richards said the ram is part of a herd of more than 50 blackfaced Scottish sheep that live year-round on Richmond Island. The ram was scheduled to live on the mainland for the summer before being returned to the island in the fall.

Each summer, Sprague moves part of the herd from the island to the farm, where their fleece is shorn. This is also to manage the size and health of the herd; Richards said Sprague is trying to reduce breeding and having lambs born on the island in the middle of a harsh winter.

“These two rams were going to stay on the mainland for the summer and will be returned to the island this fall,” Richards said. “But one escaped. We’ve tried to catch him, but it has been more difficult than you would think. You’ve got to remember that these rams are wild and have not had a lot of contact with people.”

A herd of rams has lived on the island since the mid-1900s, but Richards said there has never before been an escape. The animal has quickly made an impression on the Cape Elizabeth community as well as with its caretakers.

“He has become our focus lately,” Richards said.

On its first day of freedom on the mainland more than a week ago, Richards said, motorists reported seeing it trotting along Route 77 toward the entrance to Crescent Beach State Park. The ram was also seen in the parking lot at the park on Sunday night before fleeing into the Broad Cove neighborhood. It jumped over a fence and into someone’s backyard, but when police officers and volunteers arrived, it jumped back over the fence and took off.

There were no sightings Monday and the ram remained at large Monday night, according to Detective Ben Davis of the Cape Elizabeth Police Department.

“When someone approaches it, it just takes off,” Davis said. “We’re just waiting for someone else to call to say where it is.”

The ram weighs more than 150 pounds, has two large brown horns, a black face and its wool is white. It was shorn two weeks ago and does not have a full wool coat, and has blue markings on its back. Richards said she doesn’t want the public to mistake the missing ram for a goat.

Police don’t believe it poses a safety risk, but still don’t want people approaching it. Police and Sprague are asking the public to report the ram’s location and direction of travel to the police department (767-3323) or to the Sprague Corp. (828-0011).

Richards said Sprague is considering several options, including deploying a border collie to herd it; bringing in a tracking dog that could follow the ram as it moves around town; or tranquilizing the animal. Richards said Sprague is open to suggestions from the community.

Richmond Island, which is owned by the Sprague family, is just off Cape Elizabeth and maintained by caretakers from May to October. The 226-acre island is home to a herd of about 50 blackfaced Scottish sheep. They live off vegetation and kelp, Richards said.

Other island wildlife includes deer, bald eagles, horned owls, blue herons and swans. The island is treated like a wildlife refuge.

Richards said public access to the island is allowed during daylight hours, except for two weeks in early August, but a boat is needed to reach the island. It has a 2-mile walking path, four beaches including Clam Cove Beach, Broad Cove Beach, John’s Cove Beach and Breakwater Beach. Overnight camping is allowed, but by permit only.

The island, which is visible from Crescent Beach State Park and Kettle Cove, has been in the Sprague family since 1913. It had been the site of Native American habitation dating back thousands of years. English fishermen settled on the island in the 1630s.

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