When the time came, Shrek the wild and woolly sheep went as meekly as a lamb.
After dodging the shearer’s blades for six years, the New Zealand hermit merino was shorn on Wednesday under blazing arc lights before a nationwide television audience.
The 9-year-old did not bat an eyelid during the 25-minute operation as former world champion shearer Peter Casserley used old-fashioned cutting blades, like a giant pair of scissors, to clip the heavily matted wool.
The fleece, described as “rock hard” in places, was 15 inches long and weighed in at 59 lbs.
Shrek, named after the friendly ogre in the popular animated film of the same name, was virtually unrecognizable as a sheep when captured two weeks ago on a high country farm in central Otago, about 400 miles south of Wellington.
The hardy sheep is thought to have survived freezing winters, at 4,900 feet above sea level in the heart of New Zealand’s main mountain chain, by eating plants and hiding in caves.
High quality merino wool is prized by the fashion world. Shrek’s fleece, estimated to be enough to make more than 20 suits, is to be auctioned for a childrens’ charity.
However, with winter just around the corner, the shearer left him with a good covering of wool ,and he was also given a protective jacket — made from fine merino.