This world is full of stunning creatures. From plants that eat meat to colorful fish in the ocean, wherever you look there are beautiful sights to see. Now, beautiful might not come to mind when you think about sheep, but that doesn’t make them any less incredible. Fortunately, it’s safe to say that most of the time these animals can live their lives peacefully without the help of humans, but that’s not the case for sheep. Keep reading to discover why domestic sheep are dependant on humans.As they were walking, they noticed a sheep that was in desperate need of their help. The group of hikers immediately contacted the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) to see if they could help.
Unfortunately, certain sheep, such as the Australian Merino, have been bred not to shed their coats each year, which means someone needs to shear it off for them. Sadly, it seemed as if this sheep had not been helped in a very long time.
After a few days of searching, the team finally found the sheep, that they later named Chris. Chris appeared to be around five or six years old, and had obviously been wandering around by himself for a long time.
At the time, Chris could barely walk by himself, so the RSPCA knew that they needed to remove his coat immediately. They sent out a message to look for an expert shearer.
Luckily, it didn’t take long for someone to offer their services. Ian Elkins, a four-time national shearing champion, agreed to help Chris. Once he got to the sheep, he realized that Chris would need to be anesthetized for the procedure.
Chris had 90 pounds of fleece on his body, which took an hour to remove! Imagine how uncomfortable that must have been for him. Chris had so much fleece on his body that he ended up winning the Guinness World Records title for Most Wool Sheared From A Sheep – Single Shearing.
“Yesterday, he was hiding in the corner, he didn’t want to have any contact whatsoever, he could barely stand up, and he certainly couldn’t walk very well. And today when I looked at him he was coming up to you, he wanted to be pet…” said Ven Dange.
After Chris went to his new home, they had to decide what to do with his coat. It would be a waste to throw it away, but because it was filled with dirt and grime, it couldn’t be used for wool. So what were they going to do with the fleece?
It was put into a museum! “We had numerous opportunities with the fleece, but at the end, we believed that it should be preserved in its entirety and displayed as a reminder of how dependent these animals are on humans for their welfare. The National Museum already has a wonderful pastoral industry collection that tells of their history in this country. As such, we felt that they were the most appropriate partner to preserve the story of Chris and his very woolly fleece,” explained Ven Dange.
