Sheep comparison

There are 5 types of sheep at the Nature Centre - I bet you never realised that!

My favourite (if I had to choose) are the Mouflon - probably because the two Mouflon lambs are just beautiful with their caramel coloured coats. They are a rare species, and originally came from the islands of Corsica, Sardina and Cypress, where they live in mountainous/rocky areas.  The male mouflon at the Centre has a good pair of horns and has been separated from his two females and the two lambs as he can be quite defensive and start butting both them and people. He went for Alex once and apparently the visitors cheered the ram on!

Soay
The Soay are a larger group, with dark brown wool. The male also has horns and can run at you if it is defending the lambs. There are 7 or 8 lambs, and I was told that the sheep weren't so great at keeping them clean and the staff have to make sure that their wool is not matted or messy. Originally they come from the isle of Soay. Its ancestry is thought to go back earlier than other sheep. Soay means Island of Sheep in Norse.

Icelandic and Jacob sheep
There are 2 icelandic and one jacob sheep who are in the first enclosure when you arrive. They have thick wool and the jacob sheep has spots. They have recently been sheared and look tremendously different without their fleeces!

Cameroon
Two cameroon sheep (both males) live near the entrance. They are a beautiful browny tan colour; one has horns and the other does not. Their bleat is very distinctive, quite low and loud. They are, of course, from Africa. They are a bit more goat-like in appearance, with short fleeces and long faces.