Sheep: The Swiss Army Knife of Livestock
Created | Updated Feb 19, 2007
The single most important animal to the human race is the sheep. How so? Well let's consider the uses and advances made with sheep. Sure, other animals may also be important but none are as usefull as the sheep1. Let's look at the many uses of this incredible animal...
Wool
One of the more obvious is wool. Wool is used for jackets, blankets, towels, draperies, or any other cloth. Wool is the hair of the sheep. It is sheared off, cut off with scissors, not unlike a haircut. It is then cleaned and manufactured and so on, creating a finished product to be sold on the market.
Edible Products
Then we come to food. The sheep is also for a good meal. For instance, sheep meat and haggis are eaten by a very large number of people in Europe and other regions with large numbers of the animal. The meat can be cooked in any style and is safe as long as it is cooked correctly. It contains protein, calcium, iron, and potassium. Sheep meats are also used in haggis. Haggis is a European dish utilizing the stomach and the liver of the sheep. Many for hundreds of years, have enjoyed this dish.
Got milk? Sheep do. Their milk is used in several dairy products and is a safe alternative to cow or goat milk. Their milk can be used anywhere cow’s milk or goat’s milk is used. This includes fudges and other chocolates, milk, cheeses, creams, yogurts and so much more.
Skins
Skin of sheep is also very useful. The skin can be tanned to make moccasins, jackets, boots, slippers, medicine, gum, shampoo, candles, and much more. As a result of the care in producing the jacket, sheepskin products are also rather expensive. The fur side of the skin is water-resistant, and the skin is flameproof, static free, wind-proof, and the list goes on.
Intestines
Now we come to the intestines. Until plastics and other polyurathanes's became so popular sheep intestines were used as condoms and instrument strings. However, that is not the only use. Sheep intestines have been used as sausage casings, and other foods. However, the intestines have been found to contain parasites and other nasties, which can even be fatal.
The Value of the Sheep
The sheep is an extremely valuable animal not just for the meat and such but also for the economics involved. The sheep also gives man jobs and income for his labor. For instance, sheep farmers. But the list doesn't stop there, it keeps going. Every single product made from sheep employs thousands-possibly millions of workers including sheep dogs. From the sheep farmer to the men and women working in the factories on a slick pair of sheepskin moccasins, they owe gratitude to the sheep.
Also consider the fact that sheep graze like crazy. They have been called “a lazy person’s alternative to lawn mowing.” Many areas in Europe would be grotesquely over-grown were it not for the sheep. The animal can be picky about what it eats too; it has a split in its upper lip that allows it to choose which leaves or grasses it munches on. Picky or not, one sheep consumes a staggering 2 to 4.5 pounds of grasses and plants!
A Bright Future for the Sheep
Finally, we conclude with a look towards the future of the sheep. The sheep has provided man with many goods. It has givin us food clothing and a job, plus, it gives us a great test subject. Its charity is not yet finished. The sheep can assist man with genetic research to finally figure out life, the universe and everything.
1A Llama is actually a species of sheep, therefore it falls into this catagory
