For a nation synonymous with lamb chops to mourn the death of a sheep might seem a bit rich. But New Zealanders none the less were in shock on Tuesday following the demise of the nation’s favourite woolly wanderer.

Shrek the Sheep made headlines back in 2004 when he was finally caught after six years on the run, living in caves on the South Island and avoiding the shearer’s blades.

By the time the hirsuite finally faced the clippers on live television, his fleece weighed 27 kgs – enough wool to make 20 men’s suits. Still, Shrek went on to enjoy a stellar career, meeting New Zealand prime minister Helen Clark and starring in a series of children’s book.

Shrek’s owner said the sheep had been put down at the age of 16 because of age-related illnesses.

“He was just an ordinary sheep, went awol and hid, and when he was found he became the darling of the nation,” John Perriam told local broadcaster TVNZ.

“He had an unbelievable personality. He loved children and he was really good with the elderly in retirement homes.”

Local reports said a memorial service would be held at the Church of the Good Shepherd in Tekapo, and that Perriam planned to place a bronze statue of the sheep in the local town.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, June 7th, 2011 at 8:21 pm and is filed under Farms, Mammals, sheep. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.