Do you know about the Valais Blacknose sheep? This breed of domestic sheep originates from the Swiss region known as Valais.
There are documents about them dating as far back as the 15th century. But, they were only officially recognized in the 60s.
This is a sheep that’s raised for wool and meat and boast a unique look too. They have black face, ears, spiral and long horns, as well as black patches on their hocks, feet, and knees.
They’re also a popular choice for unusual pets- who can resist their curly fur and their cuddly looks?
Many deem this Swiss breed of sheep to be the cutest one in the world. But, their popularity has been on the rise recently and before, they were not known to people and farmers outside of this Swiss region.
High-in-Demand Pets in the UK
These sheep are in high demand as pets in various parts in the UK because of their adorable looks.
But, you’ll definitely have to spare a large amount of your budget to get one- it may cost around $11,000 or 40 times the value of a regular lamb.
Daily Mail wrote that around six years ago, these sheep were banned for export outside of Switzerland.
According to Tom Hooper, a breeder of these sheep, the supply is limited because of the exports of the current ones in the country, which are around few thousand.
Still, he explains that the demand is high-the sheep look great and are docile and thus, are ideal pets for people with some land that want a beautiful, yet an expensive lawnmower.
Hooper was previously an economist working in the city. So, he says it’s fairly a straightforward case in terms of supply and demand.
He’s been breeding these sheep as of 2016 when he invested in some embryos together with Chris Slee. Slee has a farming background-his family farmed in north Devon for more than a century.
These sheep are now gradually making their way out of the Alpine nation into the UK and even New Zealand. They debuted at the 2018 Agricultural Show in New Zealand and won the public’s hearts with their cute and unusual looks.
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