Santa Cruz sheep are an extremely rare breed of

domestic sheep Sheep or domestic sheep (''Ovis aries'') are domesticated, ruminant mammals typically kept as livestock. Although the term ''sheep'' can apply to other species in the genus '' Ovis'', in everyday usage it almost always refers to domesticate ...

that once existed as a

feral A feral () animal or plant is one that lives in the wild but is descended from domesticated individuals. As with an introduced species, the introduction of feral animals or plants to non-native regions may disrupt ecosystems and has, in some ...

population on the

Santa Cruz Island Santa Cruz Island ( Spanish: ''Isla Santa Cruz'', Chumash: ''Limuw'') is located off the southwestern coast of Ventura, California, United States. It is the largest island in California and largest of the eight islands in the Channel Islands ...

of the

Channel Islands of California The Channel Islands () are an eight-island archipelago located within the Southern California Bight in the Pacific Ocean, off the coast of California. The four Northern Channel Islands are part of the Transverse Ranges geologic province, ...

. Small and hardy, the sheep were all killed or removed from the island to prevent destruction of natural habitats. Today, they number fewer than 200 animals. This breed is primarily raised for

wool Wool is the textile fibre obtained from sheep and other mammals, especially goats, rabbits, and camelids. The term may also refer to inorganic materials, such as mineral wool and glass wool, that have properties similar to animal wool. ...

History

In the mid-19th century, sheep that were most likely of the

Merino The Merino is a breed or group of breeds of domestic sheep, characterised by very fine soft wool. It was established in Spain near the end of the Middle Ages, and was for several centuries kept as a strict Spanish monopoly; exports of the bree ...

Rambouillet Rambouillet (, , ) is a subprefecture of the Yvelines department in the Île-de-France region of France. It is located beyond the outskirts of Paris, southwest of its centre. In 2018, the commune had a population of 26,933. Rambouillet l ...

(French Merino), or Churro breed were brought to Santa Cruz Island. By the 1860s, thousands of sheep grazed freely on the island. Throughout the 20th century, ranching declined on the island and most of the sheep became feral. In 1978,

The Nature Conservancy The Nature Conservancy (TNC) is a global environmental organization headquartered in Arlington, Virginia. it works via affiliates or branches in 79 countries and territories, as well as across every state in the US. Founded in 1951, The Natu ...

gained control of the island; sheep numbers around this time were estimated to be over 20,000. Later, the

Nature Conservancy The Nature Conservancy (TNC) is a global environmental organization headquartered in Arlington, Virginia. it works via affiliates or branches in 79 countries and territories, as well as across every state in the US. Founded in 1951, The Natu ...

and the

National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an List of federal agencies in the United States, agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government within the United States Department of the Interior, U.S. Department of ...

began to kill or remove all sheep remaining to prevent

overgrazing Overgrazing occurs when plants are exposed to intensive grazing for extended periods of time, or without sufficient recovery periods. It can be caused by either livestock in poorly managed agricultural applications, game reserves, or nature ...

of the island's vegetation. Today, the breed has fewer than 200 animals remaining, and is considered "critical" by the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy. A small population of the sheep exists on the mainland, and were largely placed through adoption.

Characteristics

Like many breeds of island sheep, Santa Cruz sheep are relatively small and extremely hardy. They are good foragers and need no assistance with

lambing Domestic sheep reproduce sexually much like other mammals, and their reproductive strategy is furthermore very similar to other domestic herd animals. A flock of sheep is generally mated by a single ram, which has either been chosen by a farmer ...

. However, because of the fine–wooled breeds that they are derived from, Santa Cruz sheep are unique among formerly feral island breeds in their medium to fine

with a soft feel. Their fleeces are mostly white, but some colored sheep are known among the breed.

Conservancy

In 1988, the Livestock Conservancy placed twelve of the island's lambs with five California breeders. Additional sheep were brought from the island in 1991. In 2017, there were less than a dozen breeders in the United States.

References

External links

Santa Cruz sheep
at the SVF Foundation website {{DEFAULTSORT:Santa Cruz Sheep Fauna of the Channel Islands of California Feral sheep Sheep breeds originating in the United States Sheep breeds

History

Characteristics

Conservancy

See also

References

External links