Merino. We know of this yarn in India, and it is synonymous with warm winter wear that we would buy if we were going to a trip to the North, or abroad. Or sometimes as blends in our socks.
But what is Merino? It is actually the name of the breed of sheep, first spoken about in the 12th century in Morocco. The Spaniards then found this sheep, crossbred them with their ewes, and monopolised the trade of wool to develop their country economically in the 15th and 16th century. Intensive selective crossbreeding and breed refinement over the ages has today led to the production of the softest and finest wool of any of the 200 odd breeds of sheep. Today these sheep are found in New Zealand, Australia, Argentina, Chile, Uruguay and South Africa.
So why choose Merino? Lots of good things to consider here – it’s a natural fiber, helps regulate our body temperatures, remains dry and sweat free, is soft and fine, resists odors, is biodegradable, doesn’t wrinkle, provides UPF protection and is fire resistant. Amazing, yeah? The shirt below is made from merino and is such a soft and comfortable wear for me.
One interesting fact: In 2019, the Uttarakhand government imported 40 male and 200 female Merino sheep from Australia under the National Livestock Mission to improve sheep breeding in the State and increase production of quality wool. At a cost of INR 8.5 Crores. Yep. You got that right. You wonder why? Two major reasons – to stop sheep inbreeding and to provide better local employment opportunities.
Meet Chris the Ram. Canberra Native. Australian Merino Sheep.
Chris drifted freely for about 5 years, growing all that wool and evading getting shorn. What happened was he slowly began to lose mobility due to excessive fleece weight. RSPCA Australia found him, and took the decision to have him shorn.
4-time Australian Shearing Championship winner Ian Elkins volunteered for this job. Chris was sedated, and 40.45 kgs of fleece was sheared in 42 minutes. As a comparison, a normal sheep can yield 5 kgs. As a reference, all that fleece can be used to make 30 jumpers, but wasn’t – it has been donated to the National Museum of Australia.
Chris then needed some time off to recuperate and adjust to a life without all that fleece, as well as rest his hind legs.
Chris passed away at the age of 9 in 2019, due to natural causes.
Merino sheep grow a lot of fleece and have to be sheared regularly. They cannot shed their wool on their own. Excess wool can cause them to overheat and die. Like Chris, they can slowly become immobilized and be susceptible to predators. And of course, there is always a risk of infection since body fluids and other materials can get trapped in the fleece, which attract flies, maggots and other pests.
Do you use merino? If yes, then do give a salute to the hundreds of Chris doing their bit to keep you warm 🙂
Photo credits: RSPCA
Information Credit:
Information Credit: https://www.smartwool.com/discover/what-is-merino-wool.html.