CANBERRA, Oct. 23 (Xinhua) -- Australia's most famous sheep, Chris the merino, who made international headlines when he produced a world-record fleece of 41 kg, has died.

Chris was found wandering near Canberra in 2015 after six years in the wild, during which time his fleece had grown into a huge bulk. When he was finally sheared - the RSPCA, an independent, non-government community-based charity providing animal care and protection services, drafted in a champion shearer to do the job - he produced the world's heaviest fleece.

The shearer, Ian Elkins, removed 41.1 kg of wool from Chris, surpassing the previous record of about 29 kg, held by a sheep from New Zealand known as Big Ben.

According to The Sydney Morning Herald on Wednesday, his "heartbroken" carers announced Chris had died.

"Chris the sheep has passed away. We are heartbroken at the loss of this sweet, wise, friendly soul," wrote carers at the Little Oak Sanctuary in posts on social media.

The sheep was believed to be 10 years old and likely died of old age. However, his prolonged experience in the wild may have shortened his life.

Chris's fleece was donated to the National Museum of Australia by RSPCA ACT.

Martha Sear, a senior museum curator, said that the museum's two most sought-after objects were the heart of champion racehorse Phar Lap and Chris's fleece. Enditem

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