Baarack, a sheep found in the wild, loses 78 pounds of fleece in a much-needed shearing

Febraury 26, 2021

The pandemic lockdown has been hard on many of us, who have not been able to get a professional haircut in 12 months or more. Bu just imagine the relief—and the “shear” joy—of one plucky sheep who recently got his first trim in what could have been many, many years.

The wild and struggling animal was found in a forest in Australia with a fleece that was so overgrown he could barely see, reports Sky News. When it was fully remove, his fleece weighed more than 78 pounds—or about half his body weight.

The sheep, which has been named Baarack, was found by a member of the public who contacted the Edgar’s Mission Farm Sanctuary near  

Lancefield, Victoria, about 37 miles north of Melbourne.

Above, Baarack actually was quite thin underneath all of that fleece. (Photo source: Edgar’s Mission Farm Sanctuary)

“It would appear Baarack was once an owned sheep,” said the Mission’s Kyle Behrend.”He had at one time been ear-tagged, however these appear to have been torn out by the thick matted fleece around his face.

“Sheep need to be shorn at least annually otherwise the fleece continues to grow and grow, as happened here,” said Behrend,

adding, “Whilst [Baarack’s] 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.”

Baarack is now settling in with other rescued sheep at Edgar’s Mission.

Behrend told Sky News,  “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.”

Research contact: @SkyNews