Megan Whitehead, a wool shearer from Gore in Southland (the lowest part of the South Island) of New Zealand, is attempting to set a new world record for the most sheep that a female shearer can shorn in nine hours.
This marks a new world record of 661 dogs, beating the previous record of 648 dogs set by Emily Welch in 2007!
High-speed shearing in just 50 seconds per animal
The nine-hour challenge was divided into five rounds, and began at 5 a.m. In the first round, they set a fast pace, shorn 153 head, beating the previous world record of 144 head in round one.
Megan's record for the challenge is below, along with her record from 2007.
| time | schedule | record |
|---|---|---|
| 5:00〜7:00 | Round 1 | 153 heads /2007 144 animals |
| 7:00〜8:00 | Breakfast and rest | |
| 8:00-9:45 | Round 2 | 132 heads /2007 125 cows |
| 9:45-10:15 | Morning Break | |
| 10:15〜12:00 | Round 3 | 126 heads /2007 123 animals |
| 12:00-13:00 | Lunch Break | |
| 13:00-14:45 | Round 4 | 125 head /2007 127 animals |
| 14:45-15:15 | Afternoon Break | |
| 15:15-17:00 | Round 5 | 125 head /2007 129 animals |
Megan, 24, has only been shearing for five years.
Normally, they shear about 400 head of sheep a day, but on this day, they sheared nearly 300 more, each one in just 50 seconds! Megan weighs 60kg, while the sheep are more than half that at 34-36kg, so it was hard work.
His father, Quentin Whitehead, also a shearer, was watching the challenge.
Megan has not drunk any alcohol since July of last year and has been on a strict low-carb diet. After a full day of work, she goes to the gym to train. She has been working hard for 10 to 12 hours every day since July.
He commented,
Megan, who set a world record
I can't believe it. It's a dream come true.
He expressed his joy.
Judges will be judging online
The world record attempt was judged online by international judge Mark Baldwin from Sydney.
To shave more than 648 head of cattle is a huge challenge. Age and gender don't matter, it's just a huge effort.
"I'm so glad that the sheep were able to be sheared," said Baldwin. He then inspected the sheep through a camera, checking whether there was any wool left on the sheep and whether the sheep had been damaged during the shearing process. Only one sheep was disqualified that day.
David Fagan, who set the first world record for the number of heads sheared by an individual in 1985, 748, also watched the live broadcast from early in the morning. Fagan believed in Megan's victory from the beginning,
It was really amazing to be able to keep up that high pace all day long. It requires a high level of mental and physical effort, but that's what makes this sport so fun.
He commented.
The only person who could beat Meghan's record would be Meghan herself, if she were to attempt it again.
and praised the victory.
Emily, who set the record in 2007 and held it for 13 years, was also on hand to watch Meghan.
The sheep shearing show is a New Zealand specialty
There are more sheep than people in New Zealand. In addition to eating sheep, they are also famous for their sheepskin and wool products, and sheep shearing can be enjoyed as a show at tourist spots. Shearing shows are popular because one sheep's wool is shorn in an instant. (Though not as fast as Megan's!)
This is the Agrodome , a facility in Rotorua on the North Island where you can enjoy shows.
In addition to shearing sheep, you can see sheepdogs driving sheep into fences, feed milk to lambs, and interact with various kinds of sheep and piglets. (It's a popular tourist spot, so I've been there five or six times.)
