Breed: Engadiner Fuchsschaf
Species: Sheep
Description: Originally, the Engadine sheep had a reddish-brown long wool that can turn grey with age. Some years ago, the last animals of this breed were found in the Lower Engadine, where they are known as Besch da Pader. To ensure the survival of this breed, the brown mountain sheep from Tyrol and Bavaria were cross-bred. The Engadine sheep is high-legged, has a ram head and hanging ears. It is very fertile and, like its ancestors, very suitable for the mountains. The meat of the lambs is very lean and reminds in taste of game meat.
Dissemination: Thanks to its characteristics, its uncomplicated nature and its pleasant character, the Engadine sheep has now spread throughout Switzerland.
History: The Engadine stone sheep is descended from the Bergamascan sheep. In the late Middle Ages, the Alps in Canton Graubünden were used by Italian shepherds. They brought the Bergamascan sheep with them, which mixed with the native animals. These animals were known for their hardness, as well as their hard claws and sure-footedness in the mountains. In the 18th and 19th centuries it was widespread in the Engadine, the Rheinwald and the southern valleys of Graubünden. But also the stone sheep from the Eastern Alps and the mountain sheep from Tyrol played a part in the development of the Engadine sheep.