Sheep: Karakul

Country of Origin

Uzbekistan, Central Asia 

Australian Status

LOST

Uses

Wool

Breed traits 

From 
Meat and Livestock Australia Limited. New and Introduced Sheep Breeds in Australia: Final Report. 2002. https://www.mla.com.au/contentassets/35a2fbe6128e44388697e045805e71d3/shgen.011_final_report.pdf

• A fat-tailed coloured carpet wool breed.
• Medium-size sheep with a long, narrow body, sloping rump and low set broadtail with an'S' shape base.
• Fat stored in the tail is drawn upon in times of nutritional and/or physiological stress.
• A double-coated fleece consisting of outer hairy fibres and woollen and/or guard hair undercoat. The fleece is usually black but red, brown, greys and white variants are possible.
• Purebred lambs are usually born coal black with lustrous wavy curls, their face, ears and legs covered in sleek hair. With age the fleece turns brownish or a bluish grey.
• Long, narrow head with a 'roman' nose and pendulous ears.
• Rams may be horned or polled, generally weighing between 80-100 kg.
• Ewes are generally polled, weighing from 45- 70 kg.
• May require 8-10 monthly or twice yearly shearing. 
• The Karakul will commonly yield 2.5 to 4.5kg of 35 micron crimp free, high-volume fleece which is easily spun for use in rugs, saddle blankets, outer garments and wall hangings.
• Strong maternal instincts. 
• An extended breeding season although prolificacy is low, with twins or triplets uncommon.
• Reported high resistance to internal and external parasites.
• Excellent foragers, able to survive under harsh feed conditions and able to withstand extremes of either hot or cold conditions. 

Further information at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karakul_sheep

History

The Karakul is one of the world's oldest breeds and possibly one of the first domesticated breeds. A hardy, carpet wool breed, Karakul were originally bred for the value of the 1-3 day old lamb pelt ('astrakhan'), a patterned silky pelt of exceptional quality. The breed evolved naturally and with minimal selection in high altitude, desert environments and has an ability to thrive under adverse conditions.

History in Australia

Frozen embryos were initially imported from Texas (US) and quarantined on Torren's Island (WA) during the 1980s in a joint University of NSW/Elders venture.

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