News & Politics - Shrek the Sheep cut down to size.

JediBlastoise · 05-01-2004, 12:10 AM

the full article is here

Quote:

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) -- "Shrek" the hermit ram took six years to grow his massive fleece.

On Wednesday, a champion shearer clipped it off in just 20 minutes in a live television broadcast in this nation of 4 million people and 42 million sheep.

Named "Shrek" after the ogre from DreamWorks' computer-animated film, the merino sheep had been on the lam and living in mountain caves for six years after escaping from his domestic flock.

But after coming in from the cold, Shrek lay quietly on his back as former world champion blade shearer Peter Casserly clipped 27.5 kilograms (60.5 pounds) of fine merino wool from the sheep in front of a local audience of more than 250 and a television audience stretching from New Zealand to Japan.

In this country where sheep outnumber people more than 10-to-one, Shrek has become a star since being caught recently in New Zealand's South Island high country.

The merino was captured hiding in a rock cave near the top of the "Bendigo" high country ranch in Central Otago on South Island during an annual muster earlier this month.

Sheep station musterer Anne Scanlan said the elusive Shrek "was wild when we caught him ... and he's turned into such a character and personality."

"It shows they are absolutely intelligent ... something people don't believe," she said.

Ranch owner John Perriam said the ram would have had "little food in winter" when snow up to two meters (6.6 feet) deep covers the ground, bitterly cold winds blow across the mountain peaks and grazing would only be possible when snow was blown off slopes.

The shearing ended with an unsteady Shrek wrapped in a special red and blue winter jacket fitted to help save him from the cold of the advancing Southern Hemisphere winter.

Children in the live audience clapped as the sheep stood up looking a quarter his previous size.

Shrek's wool will be auctioned on the Internet, with proceeds being used for a "Cure Kids" cancer campaign in New Zealand.

and here's a pic.

[ 05-01-2004: Message edited JediBlastoise ]

Ai Ninjai · 05-01-2004, 06:33 AM

[img]smilies/eek.gif[/img] wow..looks like one whooly sheep alrgith..my gosh..

sarzy · 05-01-2004, 12:22 PM

Oh man, when I saw that sheep on the news, I laughed my ass off, nice big woolly 'fro Shrek has going there!

alli balli · 05-01-2004, 04:09 PM

[img]smilies/lol.gif[/img] I wonder how the poor sheep ate, let alone moved!

migamoo · 05-01-2004, 06:28 PM

i too saw that on the news a few days ago. i have no idea how Shrek could get around in all that fleece, but i guess it's worth it considering it's for charity.

ashley


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