World's oldest sheep runs out of luck

news ^ | November 24, 2009 | Jamie Duncan

[JoeProBono]

LUCKY, the world's oldest sheep, has died and has been buried on the Victorian property where she was born and hand-reared more than 23 years ago. Lucky, who was abandoned by her mother and has delivered 35 offspring of her own, died on her farm at Lake Bolac, west of Ballarat, on Monday morning aged 23 years, six months and 28 days - a Guinness-certified world record age for a sheep.

Victoria's recent burst of hot weather greatly weakened Lucky, owner Delrae Westgarth said.

"We got up to 36C here and it knocked her around," she said.

Mrs Westgarth found Lucky abandoned in a paddock by her mother, and hand-reared the little lamb - first inside her house and, until she was old enough to join the flock, in a shed.

Lucky returned to the shed in recent weeks, where Mrs Westgarth and her husband of 53 years, Frank, cared for her by hand once again.

"We had two air-conditioners blowing on her and my husband hand-fed her with syringes of milk," she said.

"We were hoping to get her through until tomorrow. She would have been 23 years and seven months."

Mrs Westgarth said she arranged a special final resting place for Lucky.

"We've buried her under her favourite nectarine tree," she said.

[JoeProBono]

Record breaker: Lucky the ewe has passed away

[homegroan]

Baaa-Raaam-Ewe!!

[BykrBayb]

Victoria's recent burst of hot weather greatly weakened Lucky, owner Delrae Westgarth said.

I guess Lucky didn't get the memo that global warming was just a hoax.

[supremedoctrine]

while this in fact did make me feel sad, it still put me in mind of one of my favorite Karnak moments from the old Johnny Carson show.
Ed: (reading ‘answer’) SSisssssss, boooom!Baaaah!
Karnak (envelope to forehead) What are the sounds you
hear when you inflate a sheep and it explodes?

[cake_crumb]

Global warming is a migratory animal: it headed to the Southern hemisphere last month, and will be back with us around April-ish.

[BykrBayb]

Can we build a sanctuary for it up here? I’d like to keep it year ‘round.

[supremedoctrine]

So far a 23 year old sheep named Lucky is the ONLY known victim of global warming. She should be their Poster Gal.

[Cheapskate]

So, is Jimmy Carter next in the pecking order????

[JoeProBono]

[steveo]

I ain’t missing ewe at all
Since ewe’ve been gone, away
I ain’t missing ewe
No matter, what my friends say

And there’s a message that I’m sending out
Like a telegraph to ewer soul
And if I can’t bridge this distance
Stop this heartbreak overload

I ain’t missing ewe at all
Since ewe’ve been gone, away
I ain’t missing ewe
No matter, what my friends say
I ain’t missing ewe, I aint missing ewe
I can lie to myself
And there's a storm that's raging
Through my frozen heart tonight
I aint missing ewe at all
Since ewe’ve been gone, away
I ain’t missing ewe,
No matter, what my friends say
Aint missing ewe
I ain’t missing ewe, I aint missing ewe
I can lie to myself
I ain’t missing ewe
I aint missing ewe

[JoeProBono]

[JoeProBono]

[weef]

while this in fact did make me feel sad, it still put me in mind of one of my favorite Karnak moments from the old Johnny Carson show.

So funny! I was thinking the same exact thing before I read your comment.