Sheep numbers in New Zealand have declined dramatically. Photo: File
New Zealand: New Zealand is known for many unusual things as there are more sheep than humans, but now there are five sheep to one human.
According to experts, this is the lowest level of sheep population in history as the number of sheep per capita was as low as 22 in the 1980s. That is, there were 22 sheep in each person’s share.
After the sheep census in the year 2022, a total of 2.53 million sheep were recorded in all cattle herds, which is 400,000 less than last year. It should be noted that the number of sheep in New Zealand has been counted since 1850 and during this period, the number of sheep has fallen abnormally for the first time.
The decline in sheep numbers is also being attributed to the fact that they are no longer being reared for wool as synthetic fibers are now being used to make clothes. On the other hand, due to lack of pastures, grain farming is also suffering.