The Van Rooy, also known as the Van Rooy White Persian, is a breed of domestic sheep native to

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

. The Van Rooy was first developed in 1906 by (and named for) J. C. van Rooy, a South African Senator and farmer in the Bethulie district. The Van Rooy is cross between indigenous Ronderib Afrikaner sheep, and Rambouillets. It is a fat-tailed sheep and also a hair sheep, removing the need for shearing and crutching. They are generally kept for meat production, and are very well-suited to arid climates. Van Rooys are polled, have drooping ears, and are entirely white. The breed is relatively rare, even in South Africa, but has also been exported to

Namibia Namibia (, ), officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country in Southern Africa. Its western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Zambia and Angola to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and ea ...

and

Zimbabwe Zimbabwe (), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the south-west, Zambia to the north, and Mozam ...

. In 1998, the first Van Rooy embryos were imported into Australia and rams have now been used as a foundation sires in White Dorper upgrading programs. Van Rooy genetics have also contributed to the development of the Australian White sheep breed.

References

External links

Van Rooy Sheep Breeders Association
Sheep breeds Sheep breeds originating in South Africa {{sheep-stub