SANTA ANA : It’s Shear Pleasure for Sheep and Kids
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Hundreds of giggling schoolchildren stared and pointed on Thursday as professional shearers sliced away winter coats of wool from sheep at the Santa Ana Zoo.
About 750 children from schools around the county and beyond jostled for a better view as shearers used a buzzing set of electric cutters and lightning-quick hands to remove wool during the annual event.
“Before they were big and fluffy. Now the sheep look happy but skinny,” said curator Kent Yamaguchi.
“They’re going to feel much better now that the warm weather is coming,” he added.
During the event, spinners wove wool into yarn, which was in turn knitted into a baby sweater, Yamaguchi said.
He added that the shearing has another benefit for sheep.
Because they are so much smaller without their bulky coats, “there’s a whole lot more room for them to walk around,” he said.
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