Pulling wool over eyes?

In an intriguing piece of news in the UK's Guardian this evening: a merino sheep spotted wandering near Canberra caused an emergency call to go out! In answer to the Australian Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) came the country's champion shearer, Ian Elkins, and five staff.

Above: The merino sheep. Photograph: RSPCA/AFP/Getty Images

There are other incidents of sheep evading the shearers for years. In neighbouring New Zealand, one such individual escaped detection for six years. Its fleece came in at 27 kgs and won it an audience with that country's prime minister.


For information on farming sheep for wool in South Africa, find the Sheep - wool chapter in The Agri Handbook or go to the Cape Wools or National Wool Growers' Association (NWGA) websites.

Source: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/sep/02/champion-shearer-overgrown-sheep-rspca-canberra-australia