World's oldest sheep dies after falling off cliff

File photo / NZ Herald

A sheep thought to be the world's oldest has died after falling over a 45m cliff.

The blackface ewe - nicknamed Twiggy because of her scrawny appearance - was just a month short of her 26th birthday.

Crofter John Maciver put her longevity down to her still having most of her teeth, allowing her to graze easily, and her "independent spirit".

Most sheep do not live longer than 12 years.

The ewe was found dead on rocks at a beach on Lewis in the Western Isles.

"It is a sad end," said Mr Maciver, 51. "She did well. But she went over a cliff. A fence could never keep her - she was very lively." He said he loved the sheep so much he even had her as his computer screen-saver.

The last recognised holder of the world's oldest sheep title, Lucky, died in Australia in 2009, aged 23.

- DAILY MAIL