The world's oldest sheep has died after falling off a cliff. An ear tag on the blackface ewe, nicknamed, Methuselina, showed that it was 25 years and 11 months old.
In 2009, John Maciver, her owner from North Tolsta, Lewis, Western Isles, a part of a group of Islands known as Hebrides, Australia, explained the reason for the sheep’s longetivity as having to do with the fact that she still has most of her teeth intact and therefore able to graze easily.
Methuselina took the title in 2009 when Lucky, the recognised holder of the world's oldest sheep title died aged 28 years and 51 weeks. She died in a heat wave in Australia. Lucky raised by Delrae Westgarth set the Guinness Book of World Records in 2007 and was a celebrity in her hometown of Lake Bolac, near Melbourne, Australia. The Polwarth-Dorchester cross was hand-reared from birth after being abandoned by her mother. She went on to have 35 offsprings of her own before her death.
Maciver said Methuselina, had also met an unfortunate end. "The sad news is Methuselina is no more. She passed away and I wouldn't say peacefully. I found her at the bottom of a rock. She had gone over a cliff and met her demise that way at the grand old age of 25 years and 11 months," he said.
Guinness Book of World Records said that since Lucky's death it had been actively looking for a contender for world's oldest living sheep. It was understood that Maciver had not applied for the recognition for his ewe.
By PORTIA ONWUYALIM
