Soay sheep
Scientific name
Ovis aries
Body size
About 56cm tall at the withers
25 to 40 kg
Diet
Grass, mixed vegetation and hedgerows
Conservation status
Considered at risk by the Rare Breeds Survival Trust
Native habitat
The Scottish island of Soay
Lifespan
9 to 15 years
Meet our Soay sheep
Our Soay sheep help us keep things looking neat and tidy by grazing around the zoo. A tasty treat for them and a massive help to the keepers! Grazing not only keeps the zoo tidy, but it also creates a range of different habitats for pollinators and other minibeasts. As some areas have long grass and flowers and some are shorter, a wider variety of wildlife and plants can move in.
About Soay sheep
Soay sheep are an old breed of sheep and come from a tiny island called Soay, off the coast of Scotland in the Outer Hebrides. Because there aren’t many of them and they only live on this little island, there’s a real risk that they could disappear from their original home.
The name Soay comes from the Norse for ‘sheep island’, suggesting Vikings spotted the sheep and named the island after them. They are small, tough and nimble. They can handle the rough weather and high winds on their island.
Rams (male sheep) often have large spiral horns, while the ewes (female sheep) might have small horns – or none at all.
Did you know?
- on their island home these sheep are not managed by humans and have lived wild or ‘feral’ on there for hundreds of years
- Soay sheep don’t need shearing – they naturally shed their woolly coats on their own, although they look very raggedy as they do so
- they don’t have the flocking instinct of many sheep breeds. Attempts to herd them using sheep dogs result in them scattering everywhere!
