A sheep named Shrek, a Merino sheep living in South Island, New Zealand, has avoided shearing for six long years, resulting into a very thick wool coat. Normally, Merino sheep's coat gets sheared once a year, but for Shrek, it is one thing he hated and successfully escaped from it by hiding in a cave.
John Perriam, Shrek’s owner, found the sheep who said that he couldn't even tell he was a sheep.
“He looked like some biblical creature," Perriam added according to Earth Porn.
Some breeds of sheep shed their wool naturally but Merino sheeps like Shrek never shed their fleece and need shearing. The fleece continues to grow and "may pose health and safety concerns for the sheep," according to Dave Thomas, the Head of Sheep Studies at the University of Wisconsin, Madison.
"Full fleece can be bad in very hot weather, sometimes leading to heat stress. There are also mobility issues: if a sheep with long wool lies down on a heavy incline, it can be impossible for them to roll off of their backs. In extreme cases, they can die," he added in an interview with Modern Farmer.
