Sheep News: Scientists search for bare-bum sheep gene

All this talk about mulesing lately...
In the future cutting-edge genetic engineering may replace cutting-ass technology called mulesing. Both designed to prevent flystrike with sheep.

Scientists are hoping to identify the gene or genes which resulted in "bare-bum" sheep on a South Australian merino stud, with hopes it can be replicated across the industry.

The genetic mutation on the Eyre Peninsula resulted in a ram that was completely bare in the crutch and hind leg area.

Professor Phil Hynd from the University of Adelaide says he has no doubts that genetics is the answer to the ethical dilemma of mulesing sheep.

"We want to get away from chemical use as much as possible in the sheep industry," he said.

"The chemical mulesing that we're developing at Adelaide University with Australian Wool Innovation is, as I see it, a stop-gap measure.

"When mulesing's banned in 2009, we need something to replace it."

Professor Hynd says the aim now is to identify the bare-bum gene and to see if it is present in other sheep flocks.

"Genetic solutions are always slow, even with markers, but we would hope that if this is a dominant gene or at least a small cluster of genes that we can identify, we should be able to start making big impacts on the industry over a 10 to 15 year period," he said.

Article found at ABC News Online - Sci Tech News 21/03/2005 Scientists search for bare-bum sheep gene

A Different Side Of Flapser - Part XVII

Mulesing along?

Every coin has two sides (well, three actually for most of them...).
I reported about the horrible practice of mulesing before.

Sir Rantzalot notified me of the article Animal welfare in the Australian wool industry of the Australian Wool industry. Their side of the story.

You can compare it with the agitated reactions to Canadian people killing baby seals for their fur. Most of those hunters do it because they do not have an alternative. European citizens protest against it, but the fact is, most of the hunters used to be fishermen. Not enough fish for them left, because European (!) trawlers are fishing too much in their waters.

Just like that: mulesing is horrible, but 3 million sheep dieing each year of flystrike also... So let's hope they will find a good alternative for mulesing quickly.

Shamy sheepy

I've been not that active with blogging lately. Shame on me. Indeed.
I promissed photo's from my latest trips. They still have to come.

Oooh. The horror, the shame.

I will try to better my life and be as fluffy and blogging as I used to be.

Baah!

Youssouf Went Twente

I'm back since last Friday.
I staid in a nice cottage in Boekelo. Boekelo is famous for its salt mines. In the landscape you can still see at several locations the dark brown wooden salt mine towers. Nice view! Of course I made photo's of it. Me included.
Surprisingly it was snowing over there. Usually you don't encounter much snow in The Netherlands. But if it starts snowing somewhere, the first place is likely to be Twente. And so it was. I made some rare pictures of me in the snow. I thought it would be a very rare occasion. Snowy white fields. Encountering a snow man. Licking up snow flakes from the air.
But alas - or fortunately - it was not rare. Now in Utrecht - and the rest of the Netherlands - it has been snowing for a couple of days. Melted away a bit during the day. But now there is really some snow. Even in areas where it does not snow that much a bunch has fallen. 10 to 20 cm in Utrecht and even 60 cm in Groningen! When did this all start? About last Tuesday (which was not so last Tuesday). The day exactly when the meteorological Spring started. Heavy snowfall (according to Dutch standards) in Spring. Right. Some greenhouse effect (not!).

But I am drifting off. Boekelo and surroundings is a nice place to be. I love the Twentish accent of the people. Farmland is alternated by chunks of forrest and 'hout wallen' (wooden walls). Really nice to walk over there in the snow. I also did quite some relaxing. Played some new boardgames. I really had fun! Pictures will follow!