Letelle sheep: SA’s most undervalued breed
The Letelle sheep breed has European origins. It descends from the Rambouillet or French Merino, the development of which can be traced back to 1786, when King Louis XVI of France purchased more than 300 Spanish Merinos (seven wethers, 41 rams and 318 ewes) from his cousin King Charles III of Spain.
The Rambouillet, a plain-bodied sheep with very fine wool, was exported all over the world, including to South Africa. A dual-purpose animal, raised for both meat and wool, it flourishes to this day, and formed the backbone of the Letelle in this country.
“The foundation for the Letelle was laid about a hundred years ago by legendary breeder TP van der Walt, who can rightly be called the father of the breed in South Africa,” says Theo Oosthuizen, owner
