something to moo about
New Zealand, much like our neighbour Wales, has long endured jokes about the extent to which they are outnumbered by sheep. Surprisingly in 2009, New Zealand’s sheep population actually dropped leaving no fewer than eight sheep per person! Still a pretty big statistic if you ask us. But unfortunately there is another gag looming in [...]
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11/02/10
by mcphee
new zealand dairy cows on the rise
New Zealand, much like our neighbour Wales, has long endured jokes about the extent to which they are outnumbered by sheep. Surprisingly in 2009, New Zealand’s sheep population actually dropped leaving no fewer than eight sheep per person! Still a pretty big statistic if you ask us. But unfortunately there is another gag looming in the not-to-distant-future as the country’s National Statistical Office announces that the population has been overtaken, yet again, by that of the dairy cattle.
Recent data released shows that the population of cows has risen to 5.8 million surpassing the New Zealand human population at 4.3 million. In fact, less than 5% of the New Zealand’s population is human, while the rest are all animals making New Zealand one of the top countries with the highest ratios of animals to humans in the world. This is pretty impressive stuff considering that New Zealand has absolutely no native mammals – just birds, reptiles and insects!
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