Nerds Republic

Farm animals aren’t known for being the most secretive, sneaky, or subtle of creatures. But these sheep might actually be ninjas with their superior stealth skills.

When Canadian farmer Liezel Kennedy of Pilgrim Farms drove out for her daily morning check on her group of sheep, it appeared that all 500 had somehow vanished over night. As it turns out, they were simply hiding in plain sight.

Do you see them?

How about now?

Getting any clearer yet?

Ah, there we go!

(via BuzzFeed)

Kennedy admits she actually drove past the camouflaged fluff balls before realizing they were just blending into the background. Maybe the CIA should look into starting an all-sheep secret task force.

In 1999, one sheep in New Zealand had enough of the whole getting shorn thing, so he decided to run away from home. He was like a teen who didn’t want to get his haircut, except he took his disdain for scissors to a whole new level. This sheep hid away in caves for six whole years before he was found, and people were shocked when they saw him.

You see, Shrek was a Merino wether, which means he’s a domesticated sheep who can’t shed his own wool.

So over those six years, Shrek kept amassing more, and more, and more, and still more wool on his body, until he looked like this! This much wool can be dangerous to a sheep, causing pain or trapping too much heat. Sheep with this much wool can also get stuck on their back, like a beetle or a turtle.

He immediately gained worldwide attention when he was found in 2004.

A professional shearer finally wrangled the haircut-phobic sheep on live television…

Shrek had enough wool to make suits for 20 large men. All in all, he had 60 pounds of wool on him…that’s six times more than the average shearing (which makes sense, given he was gone for six years).

Here he is with his owner and a cool new cape.

Here he is, very excited to meet Chilean Agriculture Minister, Jamie Campos.

He also met the then-New Zealand prime minister, Helen Clark. Quite the honor.

All of his wool was auctioned off for charity, and for the rest of his life he made numerous other charity appearances.

In 2011, at the age of 16, Shrek passed away in his own home…not burdened by 60 pounds of wool in a cave somewhere.

(via Earth Porm)

This little guy was quite the rebel back in the day! Though he really had nothing to fear — shearing is 100% painless for sheep — his tenacity is still pretty impressive.

You’re sorely missed, Shrek!

Edgar’s Mission is a farm animal sanctuary located north of Melbourne, in Lancefield, Australia. They take in animals in need, and currently have over 250 happy, furry friends living in the peace they deserve. Despite how joyful their rescues might seem after some time with the shelter, they didn’t all start out that way.

In fact, one of their latest arrivals stood a very slim chance of survival when she appeared on their doorstep very, very early one morning…

(via The Dodo)

Grace is one of the tiniest lambs that Edgar’s Mission has ever seen. She’s also one of the very sweetest, greeting each new arrival to the growing sanctuary. From a newborn covered in waste and malnourished, to a healthy, happy young lamb, little Grace is sure to have an awesome life from this point on!

To learn more about Edgar’s Mission and keep updated on their numerous success stories, you can check out their website or their Facebook. You can also donate to help these babies in need.