This is Shrek, an appropriately-named renegade sheep that managed to escape and avoid shearing for six whole years.
Shrek REALLY did not like getting his hair cut. So, this New Zealand libertarian managed to avoid spring shearings by hiding in a cave.
By the time he was discovered in 2004, his owners could not even tell he was a sheep.
According to a farmer, when Shrek was finally sheared, there was enough wool to produce twenty men's suits.
So if a sheep doesn't get sheared, will the wool keep growing?
Yes, but only if it's a domesticated sheep. They have evolved based on how humans groom them.
Primitive sheep, such as Bighorns in the West, still shed most of their wool each year.
Perhaps Shrek realized he needed help (mobility issues, vision impairment, heat stress) and wanted to be found. We might never know, but he certainly has a great smile!
Images: Modern Farmer
wow. so how was he able to feed himself, living in a cave? where did he get water? 6 years is a long time to exile oneself, when one is being blinded and experiencing movement restriction thanks to the fur growing all over the body.
ReplyDeleteHe HID in a cave while the other sheep were being gathered each year for shearing. He didn't LIVE in a cave.
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