JOE DAWSON A hermit sheep caught after five years living in isolation in forest above Taradale has been unburdened of its 17kg fleece. Shrek 2, as he's been called by farmer and owner Bill Hoffman after the Southland hermit merino found in 1994, spent five years until last week living alife of solitude in a forestry block. He is the last remaining stray of a handful that escaped into the bush half a decade ago. The "original" Shrek's fleece weighed in at a whopping 27kg. Shrek II was finally nabbed last week, cornered at last after evading capture for so long. Mr Hoffman said the rogue ram was in good nick when found, despite going without a shear or a drench for his entire life: "He's a magnificent sheep." Yesterday Shrek 2 was shorn for the first time by Napier shearer Bruce Kent and, despite the worst being expected from such a wild character, Mr Hoffman said everything went well. "The sheep was surprisingly docile, although it wasn't easy shearing, he was pretty matted," he said. "We thought we might have had a few problems holding him while shearing him, but that didn't eventuate. "He was pretty co-operative really." Mr Hoffman said a ewe shorn annually would, if it yielded a really good clip, produce a fleece of between 4 and 5kg.
