Multimedia Gallery
Sheep on South Island, NZ
Sheep on South Island, NZ
Sheep on South Island, New Zealand. New Zealand has 45 million sheep and produces the finest wool in the world. It is second only to Australia in the amount of wool produced annually. The sheep actually outnumber the country's human population by more than 11 to one.
British colonists first successfully introduced sheep to New Zealand in the early 1800s. Today, there are six main sheep breeds and about 30 breeds total. Farmers keep breeds that best suit their type of farmland and climate. The Merino, for instance, is favored in the alpine grasslands of the South Island's Southern Alps. Half-breeds and Corriedales are bred on the foothills and plains east of the Alps. Romney's Coopworths and Perendales are typical of the 'crossbred' breeds used for meat and wool production. (Date of Image: May 2001)
Credit: Photo © Christyne L. Scofield
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