Champion shearer Ian Elkins took about 45 minutes to finish the first pass as the fleece smashes the existing record of 27kg set by New Zealand sheep Shrek

This article is more than 5 years old

This article is more than 5 years old

Chris the sheep has broken world records after having 40.45kg of fleece trimmed in potentially life-saving surgery on Thursday.

Shaun the sheep finally shorn but Shrek was shaggier Read more

Spotted by a bushwalker in the Mulligans Flats area near the NSW-ACT border, Chris was carrying such a heavy load that animal welfare experts feared he would not make it through the summer.

He was brought into the RSPCA’s Canberra facility and trimmed by champion shearer Ian Elkins, who answered the organisation’s call for help.

Elkins had to do the shearing in two layers and needed four helpers to do the job. He began shearing about 9am and took about 45 minutes to finish the first pass.

Elkins believes he cut seven years’ worth of growth – double the sheep’s body weight.

“I wouldn’t say it is high quality, but you wouldn’t expect it to be after so long in the bush,” Elkins said of the fleece.

“It’s amazing it’s survived all these years out in the wild,” he said.

Chris’s fleece pipped Shaun from Tasmania (23.5kg) and New Zealander Shrek (27kg) – fellow rogue sheep who evaded the shearing shed for years.

“It’s unlike anything I’ve ever seen,” Elkins said.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Chris the sheep after shearing. Photograph: Tammy Ven Dange/AAP

Chris was said to be feeling fine after his makeover.

“He’s gone from a very shy sheep to one that wants cuddles now,” RSPCA ACT boss Tammy Ven Dange said. “He’s looking really good right now.”

The sheep could barely walk with the weight of the wool, Ven Dange said, and it was feared its life might have been in danger.

The sheep will be checked by vets, but initial indications were it came through the process relatively well and there was no evidence of flystrike.

The average fleece weighs 5kg and takes just three minutes to shear.