- Shrek (sheep)
Shrek is a
Merino wether (castrated male sheep) inNew Zealand , who gained international fame in 2004 after he avoided being caught and shorn for six years. Merinos are normally shorn annually, but Shrek apparently hid in caves, avoiding muster. He was named after the fictional character. [cite news|url=http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2004-04/29/content_327336.htm|title=Hermit sheep 'Shrek' shorn of 6-year-old woolly fleece|accessdate=2007-12-04|date=2004-04-29|publisher=China Daily]After being caught on April 15 2004, the wether was shorn by a professional in 20 minutes on April 28. The shearing was broadcast on national television in New Zealand. [cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/3665735.stm|title=NZ's famous sheep gets TV haircut|accessdate=2007-12-04|date=2004-04-28|publisher=BBC] [cite news|url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/article845690.ece|title=Shrek the sheep shorn at last|accessdate=2008-01-27|date=2004-04-28|publisher=BBC] His fleece contained enough
wool to make vests for 20 men, weighing Convert|27|kg|lb|abbr=on – an average Merino fleece weighs around Convert|4.5|kg|lb|abbr=on, [ [http://www.agric.wa.gov.au/content/aap/sl/wool/bull4544.pdf 2002 Australian wool production survey, giving (p 6) average Merino fleece weights.] ] with exceptional weights up to around Convert|15|kg|lb|abbr=on. [ [http://www.sunnyvalley.com.au/Docs/SunnyValley2004Newsletter.pdf Merino stud ram listed (p 3) with fleece weight of 16.2 kg.] ]Shrek became a national icon. He was taken to parliament to meet the New Zealand Prime Minister,
Helen Clark in May 2004. [cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/3680627.stm|title=Celebrity sheep meets NZ leader|accessdate=2007-12-04|date=2004-05-03|publisher=BBC] [cite news|url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/location/story.cfm?l_id=145&objectid=10355091|title=Southland Shrek's sheep romance fizzles|accessdate=2007-12-04|date=2005-11-14|publisher=New Zealand Herald] To celebrate his tenth birthday, 30 months after his initial shearing, Shrek was shorn again on an iceberg floating off the coast ofDunedin , New Zealand. [cite news|url=http://www.theage.com.au/news/World/Shrek-the-sheep-has-close-shave-on-ice/2006/11/29/1164476250599.html|title=Shrek the sheep has close shave on ice|accessdate=2007-12-04|date=2006-11-29|publisher=The Age] [cite news|url=http://www.nzpaimages.co.nz/events.php?event_id=2801|title=Dunedin-Shrek the sheep shorn again on an iceberg|accessdate=2008-01-27|date=2006-11-28|publisher=NZPA]References
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