In Tibet, you can occasionally see some homeless sheep alone or in small groups, with a red ribbon tied on the neck, wandering inside or outside monasteries. In fact they have been freed by their hosts, who are Buddhist followers. Being called freed sheep, they return to nature and are free from slaughter.

To their hosts, by doing this, they can eliminate disasters and accumulate merit and virtue, so they take it for granted. For the herders it is easy to randomly pick out one from their herd and free it. But the farmers or city dwellers must buy one from market, better that of impending slaughtering, thus changing its fate miraculously. Before freeing it, the host will hold a series of rituals, e. g. they will take the sheep to walk around a monastery or similar sacred places, burn incense and kowtow, and prostrate the sheep to do similar action, then attach a red strip on its neck and let it go. Strangely enough, these sheep seldom go to wild; instead they seem to understand the people's compassion that they often join the circumambulating pilgrims to breathe the religious atmosphere with their thanks.

They are lucky not only for their freedom from slaughter, but also for their receiving good care and lot of food from the pilgrims. That is why the spoiled favorites like to follow the pilgrims obediently.