The Case of the Pink Sheep

So I thought I'd follow up that last post with a little light-hearted controversy. Seems Madonna recently allowed the sheep that graze on the land near her home in the English countryside to be dyed pink, green, and yellow for a fashion photo shoot. Now animal-rights groups are up in arms, claiming that the hairdos might have caused the animals unnecessary stress.

However, the editor of Sheep! magazine (can you believe such things exist?) says that dyeing sheep doesn't harm the animals any more than an afternoon at the salon would harm the average human. In fact, farmers often paint their sheep's wool so their flocks can be easily identified.

I'm not a big fan of harming animals (to say the least), but this seems like a lot of nonsense. In fact, I think the sheep look kind of cute. (Feel free to argue.)

The Guardian newspaper appears to agree with me. It even offers handy tips for those who'd like to dye a sheep themselves. The trick? Using "a non-toxic vegetable dye [that's] applied with a sponge or silent spray." If only there were still sheep grazing in Central Park! (They were kicked out in the 1930s.)

Read more here.