Wool-less lamb born in Rotorua a rare occurrence

A lamb born with no wool is an incredibly rare occurrence, but it has just occurred in Rotorua.

Christened Skippy, due to its likeness to a kangaroo, the lamb was one of triplets born on August 17 on the Clayton Rd farm of Kerris Browne.

"I didn't know what to think when I first saw the lamb," Browne said. "It was all pink with big bulging eyes, an elongated face, ears that stuck straight up in the air and bones you could see just underneath the skin.

"It really did look like a baby kangaroo. It was hideously ugly and looked deformed."

On closer inspection, the lamb, unlike its siblings, had no wool at all.

Browne took to a pair of exercise tights with scissors to create something she could dress the lamb in.

"I've been supplement feeding the lamb with extra colostrum and not only has it put on a little weight, it has also grown a bit of wool."

Browne went online to see if wool-less lambs were common.

"I found stories about a wool-less lamb being born in the UK in 2016. Ironically, owners of the farm it was born on also named it Skippy."

"From what I can gather it was pretty big news at the time."

Federated Farmers Meat and Wool Industry Group Chairman Miles Anderson said he had heard of cases of lambs being born without wool but described it as a very rare occurrence.

"It does happen and, in most cases, is probably a metabolic issue during pregnancy," Anderson said. "In this case, because the lamb was one of three, it could possibly have been the runt and missed out on nutrients."

He said wool-less lambs tended to be "more pre-disposed" to dying young.

Browne said Skippy appeared to be doing well.

"The lamb has definitely put on weight [although it's still very skinny], has a little bit of wool on its body and behind its head, and is skipping round the place. We'll have to see what happens."