Who's baarmy idea was that? Keepers dye sheep pink (but luckily they're practically colour blind so don't mind too much!)

By Jill Reilly


Pink and proud: Park bosses originally dyed the animals as part of breast cancer awareness week, but they proved to be such a hit with visitors, that they decided to keep them as a permanent feature

Parents should prepare for some tricky questions from their confused children if they head to a a New Zealand nature park and find this flock of pink wooly mammals grazing on the hills.

The extraordinary sight is causing a sensation at SheepWorld, near Auckland.

Park bosses originally dyed the animals as part of breast cancer awareness week, but it proved to be such a hit with visitors that they decided to keep them as a permanent feature.


Mother and baby alike: They are dyed with harmless food colouring and the dye washes out in the rain

Feeding time: A member of staff from SheepWorld, said 'Sheep are practically colour blind and so would probably not notice if they or other sheep were pink'

Only five sheep are coloured at one time and the dye washes out in the rain.

John Collyer, from SheepWorld, said the food colouring they use is completely harmless to the animals and had even been approved by a local vet.

He added: 'We use food colouring, which eventually washes out in the rain.

'Sheep are practically colour blind and so would probably not notice if they or other sheep were pink.

'The dye is harmless so there are no side effects. We have cleared what we do with our local vet.

'Feedback from visitors is 99 per cent positive. One per cent are concerned about the sheep - normally these people don't understand the precautions we've taken.'

SheepWorld is dubbed an insight into sheep farming in New Zealand.

Visitors can watch sheep-dog shows and also watch as the flocks are shorn of their woolly fleeces.


Unusual sight: SheepWorld visitor feedback 'is 99 per cent positive'



source:dailymail