When is a lost sheep taken and when is it left?

Question : And here, is it for choice or for variation?

Answer : Yes, it is for variation. Therefore, we say that if you find a lost sheep, and if it is safer for it that you take it, and you are confident in yourself that you will search for its owner, then the best is to take it. And if you do not feel secure in yourself, or you fear that you will not fulfill the obligation, then it is obligatory to leave it, and there is no sin upon you.
Now, if you know its owner, you know that this is so-and-so's sheep, is it obligatory for you to pick it up and return it to its owner?
No, it is not obligatory, except if it is in a deadly land with many predators, or if there is a cat or a road or something similar. Otherwise, it is not required of you. Now, if it joins your sheep, and this often happens, the sheep joins the sheep and you drive it away, but it does not go; it returns. If you know its owner, inform him of it, or return it to him yourself. And if you do not know, return it to the authority, the judge, or others to whom that has been assigned, meaning those to whom collecting lost items has been assigned.