- Where to see one
- 3 U.S. zoos in our directory hold barbados blackbelly sheep, confirmed against each zoo's own animal list.
Conservation status
Not Evaluated
This species has not been assessed for the IUCN Red List, so it sits outside the threat scale entirely.
About the barbados blackbelly sheep
The Barbados Black Belly is a breed of domestic sheep from the Caribbean island of Barbados, raised mainly for meat. It is a hair sheep, growing hair rather than wool. It is well adapted to tropical heat and humidity, tolerates parasites well and can survive grazing poor-quality tropical grasses. Unlike most tropical sheep it is highly prolific, with an average litter of about two lambs. The breed has been exported widely, with populations in twenty-five countries, and is most abundant in the Caribbean region, Mexico and Peru.
Barbados Blackbelly Sheep facts
- Hair sheep were brought to Barbados from West Africa, and by the mid-eighteenth century wool sheep had disappeared from the island.
- The world population was estimated at 158,000 in 2015.
- In the United States it has been crossed with Corsican Mouflon to produce the American Blackbelly.
- In 1980 purebred Black Belly sheep made up about a third of the roughly 30,000 sheep in Barbados.
Where to see barbados blackbelly sheep in the U.S.
3 zoos across 3 states
Find the closest one
Rank the 3 zoos holding barbados blackbelly sheep by how far they are from you. Your location is used in your browser to sort this list and is never sent to us.
Idaho· 1
North Carolina· 1
Pennsylvania· 1
AZAThe Association of Zoos and Aquariums. Accredited members have passed an independent inspection of animal care and welfare, safety, conservation and education, repeated every five years. Many smaller facilities never apply, so “not accredited” isn't a verdict on its own. What accreditation means · How we check this
Built from each zoo's own published animal list.
