“Shrek was just your everyday, average, run-of-the-mill Merino sheep living in South Island, New Zealand when he decided to escape from his enclosure and make a break for it to some nearby caves. He managed to live on his own for 6 years before he was eventually tracked down by his owner John Perrian, who had this to say when he finally found him: “He looked like some biblical creature.”
While some sheep breeds naturally shed their wool, like Bighorn sheep in North America, Merino sheep never do. Their wool will continue to grow until it completely engulfs them and even impairs their vision (what you would call “wool blind”). Domesticated sheep have evolved based on the way humans have groomed them for thousands of years. The earliest domestication of sheep dates back to 11,000 BCE in ancient Mesopotamia, where they were primarily used for meat, milk, and wool.
After 6 years without a shave, Shrek had enough wool on his body to produce 20 suits for large men. In total, his fleece weighed 60 pounds. Shrek’s fleece was shaved off on national television and then auctioned off to support medical charities for children. He even got to meet the Prime Minister and has since been depicted in several children’s books. Sadly, Shrek passed away in 2011 at the age of 16.”
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