Not Just Any Old Sheep . . .

I was taking photos of sheep (among other things) in St. Jacques, Fortune Bay, today. Of course, to me they were just a bunch of old sheep! However, I was later educated about the sheep from St. Jacques. These sheep, which belong to the Whalen family, are a Newfoundland heritage variety known as St. Jacques Sheep. They are one of three distinctive breeds found on the island. The others are found in Bourgoynes Cove and the Exploits Islands. A few years ago, Memorial University of Newfoundland (MUN), did DNA testing and discovered that this breed of sheep (as well as the other two breeds), has maintained its pure strain for hundreds of years. There are quite a number of black sheep. Makes me think of the nursery rhyme, Baa Baa Black Sheep - the wool is sent away to be processed and sold as yarn.

Here's some photos to enjoy.