Sheep didn't always need to be sheared. People breed sheep to produce excess wool. Merinos are bred to have wrinkly skin, which means more wool per animal, and it just keeps growing!
Unlike wild sheep or “hair sheep,” (breeds that naturally shed), the wool of Merinos just keeps growing. When escapees are finally captured, the size of the fleeces can be astonishing. A Merino called Shrek hid for six years. By the time he was cornered and given a long-overdue haircut, live on New Zealand TV, there was enough wool to make 20 men's suits. Shrek became a national icon, and was taken to meet the New Zealand Prime Minister.
Sadly, the massiv
e fleece limits their ability to walk, and as it grows over the eyes it means they are, in effect, blind. Unshorn wool impedes movement and becomes the target for lice, mites, and maggots which cause fly strike, a gruesome and deadly condition. The unnatural
overload of wool causes animals to die of heat. Flies lay eggs in the folds of skin, and the hatched maggots can eat the sheep alive. If they get stressed enough they can kill themselves due to a copper overdose that they produce in their brains.
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