sheep facts It is believed that our European domestic sheep are descended from the Mediterranean Mouflon, other researchers suggest some contribution has been provided by the Asian strain of Mouflon. These truly wild sheep have to depend on nimble agility and dexterity to escape predators, in their natural habitat their sure footed skills enable them to escape at speed over the rocky terrain. Because of their inability to defend themselves sheep have been exploited since the time that man first learned to hold a brick and from that time on more ingenious methods of exploitation have been developed. There are now estimated to be well in excess of 200 recognized breeds of sheep, these were first tended in flocks thousands of years ago in the ancient area which encompasses Iraq. Australia has by far the greatest number of sheep, (167,800,000), with China coming coming second with (113,500,000).  The four stomachs that a sheep has enable it to thoroughly digest even very coarse herbage and grasses, they can also graze very close to the ground, however care must be taken not to graze cattle after sheep as the grass is left too short for cattle to eat. A male sheep is known as a Ram or Tup, and only one is over a flock at any one time, he has to prove his power over any would be rival who would have to fight him for dominancy. Sheep from the scriptures are depicted as the very epitome of helplessness, in that they were chosen to be the symbol of Jesus Christ’s sufferings as the Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world. Gestation A lamb will attain maturity at about 12 months old, and becomes ready to breed when it is about 18 months.  A female will carry her young for about 150 days, the lambing season usually starting in the spring to coincide with the natural spring flush of grass.  Once the female gives birth she is thereafter known as a Ewe. Sheep will often give birth to a single lamb, however sometimes twins are born, and rarely triplets, particular breeds or strains are being bred have a high proportion of multiple births.  Sheep make excellent doting mothers and foster a strong instinct to nurture their young.   A lamb is weaned from milk to grass eating at about four or five months, by which time they are becoming eligible for sale at their optimum slaughter weight, or they may be selected for breeding purposes. Sheep can be quite long lived, possesing the genetic ability to live up to twenty years, however due to commercial constraints, domesticated sheep never usually get to attain this. Castration Lambs are usually castrated by rubber bands slipped over their testis, this has the effect of constricting blood to that area, gradually the testis begin to die and then eventually drop off.                                                                                                 Meat   Baby lamb, slaughter takes place at about 6-10 weeks Spring lamb, slaughter takes place at about 5-6 months. Yearling mutton, slaughtered at 12-20 months   Mutton, from a Ewe or Ram older than 12 months.     Intelligence Sheep from antiquity have never usually been associated with intelligence, however over recent years research has discovered that to our great shame it is human intelligence that was in fact lacking. Sheep also have astonishing powers of memory, one study revealed that these gentle woolly creatures can remember up to fifty individual faces for a period of up to 2 years, and indications are that they have some complex power of conscience thought and emotion. In the middle east a flock can recognize the voice of their shepherd even among many others, which I would suppose is part of the reason why they are used extensively in illustrations in the Bible. The results of ongoing research indicate that these creatures appear to consider and contemplate others, even perhaps bringing to mind individuals absent from the flock and those who may have already been taken to the slaughterhouse. Surely this research warrants us to consider them in a respectful and sympathetic light. Future generations will I am sure look upon our time period as the time of our severe blindness toward the value of other non-human beings, these are thoughts echoed by such visionaries as Leonardo da Vinci who said:  "The time will come when men such as I will look upon the murder of animals as they now look on the murder of men." Leonardo da Vinci, artist, scientist and vegetarian. Many other people have also looked at these harmless creatures and have been stunned by the realisation of our unwarranted inhumanity toward them and their own utter inability to defend themselves from human or animal predation. I understand that it was a lesson from looking closely at our little wooly friends that was the turning point in the lives of Paul and Linda McCartney. One day as they sat in a restaurant they looked out the window at the lambs grazing peacefully and thought what lovely creatures, then as they then looked down at their food the bitter reality of suffering, death, and compassion swept over them as they realized “we are eating them” !. Their personal encounter with reality caused them to make a conscience decision to desist, and this gave birth to a life principle that they thereafter lived by and which Linda followed until she passed away, Paul continues to live a compassionate life down till this day. These along with other enlightened people did not switch off at the point of enlightenment of the sufferings of others and as a result they never looked back. The full import of exploiting and unnecessarily slaughtering other less powerful beings may be comprehended but once in our lives, if we reject our personal wake up call to compassion at the very special  moment in our lives that it chooses to confront us, it may never trouble us again.