Ovine Divine

Sheep may not be man's best friend but they have many uses

Biblical times dwell upon shepherds and flocks, man and sheep.

Written in their eyes, beyond need of language, sheep evince deep admiration and devotion to their companion species mankind, considered a great and powerful friend.

Personkind, in requite, displays equal adoration, though crueler observers suggest mans' eyes reflect appetite more than affection.

Dogs rate a mention only for being asleep at the wheel. Their best? That of cur in one-sided relationships; mere footwarmers.

Especially that blue mongrel called Curley .. but I digress.

When animal intelligence studies are resolved and the minds of beasts lay revealed, ovines will emerge far beyond overrated simians, dolphins and whales as incisive, empathic intellects - more than an equal to this upright mammal.

This page would not be complete without mentioning the loss of our revered Dolly the cloned sheep who sadly passed on to the big shearing shed and cafeteria in the sky. Words eloquently befitting this brave heroine of lanolin cannot surpass that fine memorial and celebration - of her short duplication on this grassy knoll Earth - to be found and enjoyed at the firstfoot.com web site. Hoot mon.

Ewes News

 Lust for Lanolin - Antipodean child reveals true interspecies preference. Fins out, fleece in.
 Just How Smart Are They? - When they clone one that talks - it can tell us!
 Aussie Slant - It's not that we're 20,000 kilometers from anywhere, but that yecchh! accent that sets us apart.
 Ovine Times - This is Australia - our thinking herd-like, our paddocks sparse ... our press pathetic.
 Chicken Flue Leaps Species - Avians reveal naked ambition in ruthless turf war. Hapless ovines fleeced & down(ed).
 Mulesing - The Bunghole Syndrome - PETA oversteps the mark. Ewen Shearer broadsides them with Ovine International.

Bandwagons? I love bandwagons! Plus anything with a sheep's image (Dolly at that!) and we're a sucker. NAIS (National Animal ID program), originally to assist U.S. beef producers in disease-aware export markets, every single livestock animal in the US identified and tagged, movements tracked, logged and reported to the government. No exceptions. Even horse, llama and other pet owners, homesteaders, grandma with her one egg hen, must register as ‘farm premises’ and tag all their animals and submit all paperwork and fees. The USDA slipped this plan in sans legislation. The government robots are gaining control!

Feature Articles

 All About Sheep - Two-part series. Not about what nice people they are, just what they are useful for.
 Shearing - The first century - Evolution of the sheep shearing industry 19th and 20th centuries.
 Amalgamated Shearers' Union - Love-hate relationship between grazier and shearer that forged Australia's industrial relations history.
 A Visit to a Sheep Station - New Zealand, circa 1865, Lady Barker paints a word picture sufficiently detailed to understand the good and bad of those early days
 How to Grow Sheep - Starting 150 years ago, when the industry was on the cusp of modernisation.
 How to Kill, Cut and Eat Sheep - Not just any old recipe articles. You gotta catch and kill 'em first, then get yer hands dirty with wet work, finally spend up to 12 hours cooking the bugger! All just to get fed.