40.4 kg of wool on a sheep

A rather astonishing news item has reached us from our distant Australian neighbors: A sheep was found in the wild dressed in over 40 kilos of wool! The animal had not been shorn for at least 5 years, and its fleece was a health hazard.

Teams from the local RSPCA took charge of the animal and called in Ian Elkins, a national star who shears faster than his shadow. It still took Ian 42 minutes to shear Chris, the sheep’s name.

The RSPCA has approached the World Guinness Book organization to have this new record validated, until now held by “Big Ben”, who carried 28.9 kilos of wool during his shearing.

Chris is a Merino sheep, and Merino wool is one of the most renowned in the world. It is regularly used in suits fabrics. It has some very valuable qualities: natural elasticity, low sensitivity to odors and, above all, it’s very thin (less than 20 microns).