Shrek (27 November 1994– 6 June 2011) was a

Merino The Merino is a list of sheep breeds, breed or group of breeds of domestic sheep, characterised by very fine soft wool. It was established in Spain near the end of the Middle Ages, and was for several centuries kept as a strict Spanish monop ...

wether,

castrated Castration is any action, surgical, chemical, or otherwise, by which a male loses use of the testicles: the male gonad. Surgical castration is bilateral orchiectomy (excision of both testicles), while chemical castration uses pharmaceutical ...

male sheep belonging to Bendigo Station, a

sheep station A sheep station is a large property ( station, the equivalent of a ranch) in Australia or New Zealand, whose main activity is the raising of sheep for their wool and/or meat. In Australia, sheep stations are usually in the south-east or sout ...

near Tarras, New Zealand. He gained international fame in 2004, after he avoided being caught and

shorn Sheep shearing is the process by which the woollen fleece of a sheep is cut off. The person who removes the sheep's wool is called a '' shearer''. Typically each adult sheep is shorn once each year (depending upon dialect, a sheep may be sai ...

for six years. Merinos are normally shorn annually, but Shrek apparently hid in caves, avoiding muster. He was named after the fictional ogre in books and films of the same name.

Life

After finally being caught on 15 April 2004, he was shorn by a professional in 20 minutes on 28 April. The shearing was broadcast on national television in New Zealand. His fleece contained enough

wool Wool is the textile fiber obtained from sheep and other mammals, especially goats, rabbits, and camelids. The term may also refer to inorganic materials, such as mineral wool and glass wool, that have some properties similar to animal w ...

to make 20 large men's suits, weighing 27kg (60lb)– an average Merino fleece weighs around 4.5kg (10lb), with exceptional weights up to around 15kg (33lb). Shrek became a national icon. He was taken to parliament to meet the then-New Zealand Prime Minister,

Helen Clark Helen Elizabeth Clark (born 26 February 1950) is a New Zealand politician who served as the 37th prime minister of New Zealand from 1999 to 2008 and was the administrator of the United Nations Development Programme from 2009 to 2017. She was ...

, in May 2004, to celebrate his 10th birthday. In November 2006, 30 months after his initial shearing, Shrek was shorn again, on an iceberg floating off the coast of

Dunedin Dunedin ( ; ) is the second-most populous city in the South Island of New Zealand (after Christchurch), and the principal city of the Otago region. Its name comes from ("fort of Edin"), the Scottish Gaelic name for Edinburgh, the capital of S ...

, New Zealand. Shrek was also shorn on the Sky Tower observation deck, raising money for charity.

Death & legacy

Shrek was

euthanised Animal euthanasia (euthanasia from ; "good death") is the act of killing an animal humanely, most commonly with injectable drugs. Reasons for euthanasia include incurable (and especially painful) conditions or diseases, lack of resources to con ...

on 6 June 2011 on a veterinarian's advice. He was 16. At the

New Zealand parliament The New Zealand Parliament () is the unicameral legislature of New Zealand, consisting of the Monarchy of New Zealand, Sovereign and the New Zealand House of Representatives. The King is usually represented by his Governor-General of New Zeal ...

onsite storage facility, a wooden box with a cutting of wool from Shrek was uncovered. It was a gift to Rt Hon Helen Clark in 2004, who met him later that year. In 2014, a taxidermy Shrek the Sheep appeared in an exhibition at the

Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa The Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa is New Zealand's national museum and is located in Wellington. Usually known as Te Papa ( Māori for ' the treasure box'), it opened in 1998 after the merging of the National Museum of New Zealand ...

. He was treated and stuffed by taxidermist, David Jacobs based in Queenstown. Shrek remains in the collection at Te Papa, as well as his limited edition

Icebreaker An icebreaker is a special-purpose ship or boat designed to move and navigate through ice-covered waters, and provide safe waterways for other boats and ships. Although the term usually refers to ice-breaking ships, it may also refer to smaller ...

jersey, blanket cover and his fleece. In 2022, another sheep who evaded shearing for many years was named 'Shrekapo' after the original Shrek the sheep.

Life

Death & legacy

See also

References

Further reading