OMG! Are These Pink Sheep For Real?

A flock of mammals that reside at Auckland's SheepWorld are making waves or should we say Baaaaas? That's because instead of the usual muddy white, they are all sporting shocking pink hues.

As you may have guessed by now, the flock of 60 are not born this way - Their wooly coats have been dyed with food coloring by their enterprising owners, to try attract more visitors to this working farm that provides an insight into sheep farming.

The tradition of coloring the animals began about two years ago - To celebrate the rugby finals between Canterbury and Auckland, the farm owners dyed their entire flock, red and black - the color of the team uniforms. The unique sheep became so popular, that the owners decided to make the look permanent.

However, dyeing them in two different colors was difficult, so after discussing various colors and causes, they settled upon this bright pink, in honor of breast cancer awareness.

The dyeing frequency depends on the amount of rain the farm receives. That's because the food dye tends to wash off with water. And in case you are concerned, the dye is completely harmless and even the color does not bother the mammals, since sheep are color blind!

Resources: stuff.co.nz.