Yielding to the desire for independence that animated him, the Shrekapo sheep had left his farm in Lake Tekapo (New Zealand), nearly four years ago. Found by chance on April 14, the animal was safe and sound but badly needed to be clipped.
Indeed, the sheep, which had remained in the wild for several years, was covered with a thick layer of wool weighing 18.6 kg, according to the Washington Post. Almost half the weight of sheep. Its owner, Gavin Loxton, explains that the animal’s fleece was such that it was partially blinded by it.
Sheep shorn of 18kg fleece after four years on the lamb — Elusive New Zealand merino sheep named Shrekapo was caught after 4 years in the wilderness and relieved of half his bodyweight in woolhttps://t.co/kKoOjXpLpW pic.twitter.com/OY8QSZSID2
— Alfons López Tena (@alfonslopeztena) April 19, 2022
This earned it its name, Shrekapo, a contraction of “Shrek” and Lake Tekapo. Shrek was the name of another runaway New Zealand sheep who was found in 2004 after six years on the run. His fleece then weighed about 27 kilos.
Following in his footsteps, Shrekapo seems to have enjoyed life in the great outdoors. The area the animal was in was not only free of predators, such as bears or lynxes, but also had “plenty of grass to eat”.
Clipped by a champion
Finally located in a rocky outcrop of Mount Edward, more than 2,000 meters above sea level, the sheep was therefore “not at all happy to be captured”, according to Gavin Loxton.
Still, his return to Lake Tekapo caused a stir. A public shearing was organized and Shrekapo was stripped of his wool by a big name: Tony Dobbs, 19 times winner of the New Zealand Shearing Championship.
Under the eyes of more than 300 people, who had bet on the quantity of wool shorn, the specialist applied himself for 30 minutes to relieve the animal of this heavy burden. The latter was then taken back to the farm and Gavin Loxton decided to transform his wool into blankets: the remains of Shrekapo’s wild life.