and it is likewise reported from Mālik.
If the sheep is found already slaughtered, its first finder having done so, the later finder may take the meat if he wishes. Should the picker have sold the sheep, the sale stands; the owner has no right to revoke it and may only take the price, for the picker acted with due care, and selling it is a safer course than eating it.
When a sheep is picked up near inhabited settlements, the finder should take it to the nearest village and make the public announcements there. If no one comes forward to claim it, he should hand it to a trustworthy person who will keep it for its owner, thereby freeing himself of responsibility. If he prefers, he may keep it himself on the owner’s behalf. If, after despairing of the owner’s appearance, he donates it to a poor person, that is commendable.
A cow that is in danger—from predators or lack of pasture—is treated like a sheep; otherwise it is treated like a camel. As for a camel found in open country where it can reach water and graze on pasture and trees, the finder may take it or leave it. If he takes it, he must make the announcements; if no claimant appears, he should return it to the spot where he found it. Should he bring it to the judge, who then sells it, or should he sell it himself and hold the proceeds in trust for the owner, either course is sound and commonly practiced.
The period and manner of announcing stray livestock depend on one’s best judgment; Mālik set no fixed term for them as he did for other lost property. If the finder has made the announcements and exerted the necessary effort yet no claimant appears, he may give the animal away in charity on condition that he remains liable for it. He need not refer the matter to the judge unless he lacks the requisite integrity or fears that complications may arise.
Whatever the picker spends on the found property or stray—expenses without which it could not survive—is a debt upon its rightful owner. The picker’s word is accepted concerning his expenses so long as they appear reasonable; if suspicion arises, he must swear an oath. This holds whether he spent with or without the judge’s permission. The owner must reimburse him for all that he spent unless he prefers to surrender the found item itself in lieu of payment.