Help Save the Sheep!

There are many fun, creative things you can do to help our animal pals.

Help Save The Sheep Talk to your parents and explain why you won't wear wool, and ask them not to, either! It makes sense not to want to hurt animals and to stop buying wool products. Mom and dad will probably want a copy of our free "Shopping Guide to Compassionate Clothing."

When given a creative-writing assignment for school, write from a sheep's perspective. Describe how sheep raised for wool have their skin sliced off, are forced to live on dirty, crowded ships for months at a time, and eventually end up slaughtered.

If you have friends who wear wool, tell them how bad it is for sheep. Give them leaflets or show them the online video. And don't forget to give them a copy of our free shopping guide for their parents.

Start an animal rights club! E-mail Education@peta.org to get your free "Start a group" pack. (Make sure you leave your full name and mailing address. And don't worry, we won't sell or give your contact info to anyone else.) The pack is filled with everything that you need to start a club to help animals and includes step-by-step instructions and ideas for actions.
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Stumped About Sheep? Here Are Some Fun Facts About Our Woolly Friends

Sheep are gregarious-they hang out together-because, in a flock, they are safer from predators. If threatened, they all run together for a short distance, then turn to face the danger as a group.

Everyone needs their own personal space, right? Well, so do sheep! It's called a "flight zone." The flight zone can vary for each sheep-the more comfortable a sheep is around his or her flockmates, the smaller the flight zone will be.

Just like humans, dogs, chickens, and most other animals, sheep make different sounds to communicate different emotions.

It's hard to sneak up on sheep-they can see 270 degrees around (three-quarters of a circle!), without turning their heads. Sheep also have better vision than cats and dogs do.

Sheep Sheep have an excellent sense of smell and use their nose to sniff out bad food and predators. Smell also helps a mother sheep (called a "ewe") find her lamb if they're separated in a large flock.

Think all sheep look alike? Not to each other, they don't! Each sheep has a different face, just as humans do, and flockmates recognize each other, even if they've been separated for years.

Sheep prefer to climb uphill rather than going downhill, they don't like to get their feet wet, and if they sense danger, they tend to walk backwards, so they can keep their eye on the "enemy."

Egyptians believed that rams were sacred and had them mummified when they died.

New Zealand farmers have to pay a "fart tax" because of the methane emissions (gas) that come from their millions of sheep. Methane gas is a threat to the Earth's ozone layer.

Domesticated sheep are probably descended from the "mouflon," a wild sheep that can still be found in Europe. Wild sheep are very different from domestic sheep. For instance, wild sheep have hair, not wool.
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Show Your Stuff: Take Our Super Sheep Quiz!

1) What do sheep eat?

  1. Insects and small birds
  2. Other sheep
  3. Farmers
  4. Plants
Answer: d. Sheep especially love grazing on grass. Sheep, like many animals who graze, are called “ruminants.”

2) True or False? Sheep farmed for wool aren't killed.

Answer: False. When sheep's wool production starts to decline, they are crammed onto ships, sent far away, and eventually slaughtered, without any painkillers at all!

3) What is a group of sheep called?

  1. A flock
  2. A herd
  3. A cloud
  4. A school
Answer: a.

4) True or False? Sheep need to be sheared or else they get too hot.

Answer: False. Sheep naturally produce enough wool to keep them comfortable through hot and cold temperatures. Click here to learn more about the shearing process.

5) Which country produces the most wool?

  1. Russia
  2. France
  3. Australia
  4. Canada
Answer: c. With almost 140 million sheep, Australia produces about 30 percent of all the wool in the world. Click here to learn more about Australian sheep production.

6) True or False? Wool clothes are warmer than any other kind of clothes.

Answer: False. There are many kinds of synthetic products that are warmer and stronger than wool. Click here for more information on alternatives to wool.

7) What is a female sheep called?

  1. A ram
  2. A ewe
  3. A lamb
Answer: b. A ram is a male sheep, and a lamb is a baby sheep.
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