Two farmers in Australia’s island state of Tasmania have found what they believe is a six-year-old sheep that has never been shorn, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (AuBC) reported.
Dubbed Shaun, the Merino sheep was found wandering in brushland belonging to farmers Peter and Netty Hazell in the Midlands area on Sunday, according to AuBC.
Hazell said the sheep couldn’t see well because of the amount of wool on his face, so he caught him, put him in the back of his utility truck and brought him to his farm.
His wife Netty said she couldn’t believe the sheep was carrying so much wool – estimated to weigh about 20 kilograms (44 pounds).
The sheep was found with a tag from a farm on the state’s eastern coast, which means he has been drifting across the state for about six years, AuBC reported.
Hazell said he is amazed the sheep is in such good health, given how long he has spent in the wild.
“They usually get cast (fall on back) and can’t get up, or they get fly-struck or the hot weather gets to them,” he told AuBC.
The two farmers say they plan on shearing the sheep in the next few days to see if he can break the record for the most fleece-yielding animal.
That record is held by a New Zealand sheep that was found hiding in caves and captured in 2004.
The sheep – dubbed Shrek – yielded 27 kilograms (59.5 pounds) of fleece and became a New Zealand icon until he was euthanised in 2011, according to local media.
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