English World
Australian Sheep
Sheep in Australia
Australia is the leading sheep producing country in the world, with approximately 120
million sheep. This means that for every person living in Australia, there are
approximately six sheep - that's a lot of sheep!
Sheep are raised throughout southern Australia in moderate to high rainfall areas and in the drier areas of NSW and Queensland.
There are over 70,000 wool-producing properties spread across Australia.
More than 80 % of all Australian sheep are pure Merino breed. See the picture
Sheep Struggle
Conservationists claim that almost one quarter of the sheep in Australia are kept in the arid and semi-arid inland areas where temperatures can be extreme and droughts are common.
They say it is a myth that sheep are well suited to Australian conditions. In fact, large numbers of sheep and lambs die, and many more suffer.
Up to 3 million sheep a year die of flystrike. Blowflies lay their eggs on sheep, and when they hatch, maggots eat into the flesh of living sheep.
Most of the deaths are due to exposure in cold, wet weather and starvation when lambs are not getting enough milk from their mothers. This can happen when the female sheep are not fed well enough or when their udders are damaged by shearing.
Eventually all sheep, even those raised for wool, are trucked to slaughterhouses. For many sheep this is a very long journey, crowded into trucks, without food and water for lengthy periods.
Fonts:
http://www.animalliberation.org.au/sheep.html
http://www.qff.org.au
Visit:
http://www.savethesheep.com
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