History of the domestic sheep History of the domestic sheep The history of the domesticated sheep goes back to between 11000 and 9000 BC, and the domestication of the wild mouflon in ancient Mesopotamia. Sheep are among the first animals to have been domesticated by humans, and there is evidence of sheep farming in Iranian statuary dating to that time period. These sheep were primarily raised for meat, milk, and skins. Woolly sheep began to be developed around 6000 BC in Iran, and cultures such as the Persians relied on sheep's wool for trading. They were then imported to Africa and Europe via trading. The
European mouflon remained almost constant for over ten years. The relatively high cull compared to the overall population arises from the need to keep wildlife damage under control as well as to ensure a healthy population. In the 2015/16 hunting season, the total numbers culled in Austria came to 2,450 mouflon (in 2014/15 it was 2,640), of which 885 were shot in Lower Austria alone, corresponding to 36 per cent of the total cull. European mouflon The European mouflon ("Ovis orientalis musimon") is the westernmost and smallest sub-species of mouflon. It was originally found only on the Mediterranean islands of Corsica and