White Polled Heath

The White Polled Heath originated from the moorlands or bogs of Lower Saxony in North Germany where it has been kept for centuries.

The White Polled Heath is mainly reared on raised bog regions and dry grasslands in North and Central Germany.

The White Polled Heath eats wild plants such as purple moor grass, sedge, sorrel, fungi, mosses, lichens and herbaceous plants such as common heather, bell heather, cross-leaved heath, crowberry, cranberry, bog bilberry, bilberry, pine and birch.

The rearing of meat sheep breeds and reduced grazing of the moors have contributed to the White Polled Heath dying out almost entirely.

Through the combined efforts of nature conservationists, the BUND and breeders since 1974 the numbers of White Polled Heath sheep have risen to about 5,000 animals.