Rescued Australian sheep freed from wool weighing 78 pounds

Baarack the sheep is seen before his thick wool was shorn in Lancefield, Victoria, Australia February 5, 2021. The wild and ailing sheep found in a forest in Australia, named Baarack by rescuers, has yielded a fleece nearly half the weight of an...more

The sanctuary workers said they sheared 78 pounds (35.4 kilos) of wool from the creature. "Beneath that convoluted moving mass of matted fleece, adorned with countless sticks, twigs and insects ... was not Australia's answer to the yeti - but a...more

The sheep was found by a member of the public who contacted the Edgar's Mission Farm Sanctuary near Lancefield, Victoria, about 60 kilometers north of Melbourne, according to the Mission's Kyle Behrend. "It would appear Baarack was once an owned...more

"Sheep need to be shorn at least annually otherwise the fleece continues to grow and grow, as happened here," said Behrend. After his much-needed shearing, Behrend said Baarack's fleece weighed in at 35.4 kilograms. Edgar's Mission Inc/Handout via...more

"Whilst his 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." Edgar's Mission Inc/Handout via REUTERS

"And although a few shearing nicks now mark his thin body, along with an ulcer, the legacy of his once wool-blind state, all of which will heal, Baarack can now see the world more clearly," volunteers wrote on Facebook. Edgar's Mission Inc/Handout...more

Baarack is now settling in with other rescued sheep at Edgar's Mission, Behrend said, adding 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." Edgar's Mission...more

Baarack is seen before his thick wool was shorn. Edgar's Mission Inc/Handout via REUTERS

Baarack is pictured after his thick wool was shorn. Edgar's Mission Inc/Handout via REUTERS