Shrek shorn of his celebrity
A ten year old merino sheep has become an unlikely celebrity in his native New Zealand after spending six years ‘on the run’ in the country’s rugged Otago mountain range. One consequence of his extended sojourn was the 15 inch long, 27kg (59lb) fleece he was carrying when he was found, and which was snipped off on prime time TV earlier this week.
Named ‘Shrek’ after the disshevelled giant in the 1999 cartoon film of the same name, the sheep is thought to have escaped his annual haircut by hiding in caves 5,000 feet above sea level.
Shorn by former world champion shearer, Peter Casserly, Shrek was left with a fleece just thick enough to shelter him from the coming winter. But for extra insulation, he was presented with a specially designed jacket of merino wool from a local clothing manufacturer. While some of Shrek’s wool will now go into jackets - one of which will be presented to Sir Edmund Hillary, the
