An Australian sheep named Baarack (get it?) has had a much-needed haircut, losing nearly 80 pounds of fleece in the process. Baarack was found in a forest in the state of Victoria with wool so thick, he could barely see out of his eyes. Thankfully, a concerned member of the public reached out to Edgar’s Mission Farm Sanctuary near Lancefield and they were able to help this little guy out. Now, he’s happier and healthier than ever!
- It seems Baarack used to be someone’s pet. Kyle Behrend, who works at Edgar’s Mission, said that they could tell Baarack used to be owned by someone and wasn’t simply a wild animal. “It would appear Baarack was once an owned sheep,” he explained, as per Sky News. “He had at one time been ear-tagged, however, these appear to have been torn out by the thick matted fleece around his face.”
- How does something like this happen? As you can imagine, it’s much like it is in humans. If you don’t cut their wool, it’ll just keep growing and growing. “Sheep need to be shorn at least annually otherwise the fleece continues to grow and grow, as happened here,” Behrend said. It’s a good thing the sanctuary was there to lighten his load.
- In total, Baarack lost nearly 80 pounds worth of fleece. The shearing may have taken a while, but luckily for Baarack, he was about to feel a huge weight off his shoulders – 78.4 pounds of relief, in fact.
- While he’s going to be okay, Baarack does have some recovering to do. As Behrend revealed, they were able to get a better look at Baarack once he’d been sheared and noticed that he was struggling a bit. “Whilst his hooves were in great condition from running over the rocks in the forest, he was in a bit of a bad way. He was underweight, and due to all of the wool around his face he could barely see,” he said.
- Thankfully, he’s settling in nicely at the sanctuary. Baarack now has a lovely home at Edgar’s Mission with plenty of food, regular healthcare, and a comfy place to sleep. He even has some friends in the form of other rescued sheep that live there. “It all goes to show what incredibly resilient and brave animals sheep really are and we could not love them any more if we tried,” Behrend said. Agreed!
