Soay Sheep          

UK population: 690 breeding females, 1997 survey

Soay are unlike any other sheep, being the most primitive with very varied characteristics plus a history that evokes a romanticism back to the Bronze Age. They are similar to the mouflon seen wild in Corsica, Sardinia and Cyprus. How did they arrive at the St. Kilda islands and when? No one really knows. But what we do know is that when owners talk of them they talk of intelligent, nimble animals with excellent mothering habits, always with quirky behavioural traits and lots of fun to watch. They are excellent conservation grazers, being content in woodland and on hillsides. The coloured fleece is sought after for many craft uses and their carcass produces lean meat of a delicious flavour fetching premium prices for the gourmet trade.

Soay sheep are registered through the Rare Breeds Survival Trust and their Grassroots Systems we are assured of their umbrella care when concerns about the breed, their genome and special characteristics are being threatened by government legislation.

Check out the link below to find out more about Soay Sheep in America

http://www.soaysofamerica.org/index.html