Sheep hidden in a thick layer of wool that 'remained hidden from view for five years

Despite surviving so much weight, Barack failed to set a world record (Photo: AFP) 

A wild sheep roaming the deserts of Australia has had its 35kg of wool, which had accumulated on its body over a five-year period, removed.

According to the French news agency AFP, the body of this sheep named Barak had been removed from the dust and dirt due to not being cleaned for years and it remained hidden from the eyes of the locals.

The sheep were found in a forest in Victorian State and taken to a shelter north of Melbourne, the Edgar Mission Farm Sanctuary wrote on Facebook.

"I couldn't believe there was a living sheep under that thick layer of wool," the shelter's founder, Pam Ahron, told Australian news agency Nine News.

"The sheep's woolen coat had not been taken off for about five years," he said.

If the wool is not removed from the body of the donkeys, they have difficulty walking and if they are not cleaned for a year, they cannot survive in the wild, especially in Australia's often hot and dry climate.

However, despite surviving so much weight, Barack did not set a world record. In 2016, 41 kg of heavy wool was removed from the body of a sheep named Chris.