Meet the 'cutest sheep in the world' heading for the Sydney Royal Easter Show

Meet Christoph and Caeser, two of the rare Valais Blacknose Sheep that are headed to this year's Sydney Royal Easter Show.

The story of how Kim Biggins and her husband Richard came to own these adorable animals began in the late 80s when Kim first spotted these cuties during her time working in Switzerland.

"I was doing a lot of corporate advising and travelling," she tells 9honey.

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Kim hadn't met her husband Richard yet. At the time, he was living in Austria as a member of the Australian Ski Team and competed at the 1988 Calgary Olympics.

Their paths would first cross back home, although they later realised they'd been at the same event overseas in what can only be described as a serendipitous moment.

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"We were both in Crans-Montana in Switzerland the same year at the same event because I lived there and Richie was there competing, but we didn't meet," Kim tells 9honey.

"But we met years later when Richie was working at Triple M and I was working for an advertising agency," she explains.

The couple wed in 1994 and settled in Melbourne, where they welcomed their two children, Nick, 28, and Ollie, 24.

COVID lockdown was tough on the couple. Victorians experienced the longest of the pandemic lockdowns, totaling 262 days. After decades of city life and working in the corporate world while raising their two boys, the couple were ready for a change.

"I was doing a lot of corporate advising and travelling," she tells 9honey. "We wanted to slow things down, change it up a little bit."

The pair owned land in the Yarra Valley in Victoria and wanted animals on the farm, but it took some time to decide on Valais Blacknose Sheep.

"And I thought, 'I don't really want anything that kicks, bites or spits'. I went through the list," she recalls.

"I thought, 'I've had other livestock but you get nothing back'. So I was very much wanting something that gave me something back, 'cause I love animals and always have done.

"And I thought, 'I don't want horses. I really don't want horses'. So I wanted something that was horse-like, in a paddock that would come up and interact with you."

It was then she recalled the incredible Valais Blacknose Sheep she'd first seen in Switzerland, and she and Richard started making plans to raise their own.

"They're exclusively from the Valais riegion of Switzerland and they're a very ancient and rare breed, which is what really also attracted me to them," Kim explains.

"We only heard about them back in the day if you went into the huts or the barns ... there it wasn't that media hype that here is now."

"The phrase that's commonly used now, 'world's cutest sheep' and 'cutest sheep in the world', if you Google any of that it pops up with images of these sheep," she says.

"Slowly, the Valais Blacknose Sheep are growing in numbers around the world outside of Switzerland."

For Kim and Richard, it has become "very much about breed preservation".

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"We just wanted to make sure that we were getting involved in something we were going to enjoy and put some effort into building awareness," she said.

Since establishing their flock in 2023, Kim and Richard have launched a dedicated Instagram account and started showing select sheep around the country.

Kim and Richard will next be bringing two of their rams and three of their ewes to this year's Sydney Royal Easter Show.

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The sheep always prove popular at such events, owing to their affectionate nature.

"They'll sit and put their heads on your lap, they are absolutely divine," she says.

Kim and Richard raise their sheep, sheer them twice a year and sell them to buyers who want them as pets or for their own breeding ventures.

The couple are also part of the Valais Blacknose Sheep Society of Australia.

"Our Society is dedicated to fostering a vibrant and responsible community around the Valais Blacknose Sheep in Australia," she says.

"Our mission is to ensure the breed's sustainability through education, ethical breeding, and collaboration," Kim continues.

"By supporting our members and promoting responsible breeding practices in line with the Swiss Standard, our goal is to ensure the breeds success in Australia."

And this year Kim and Richie will not only be showing their sheep, but they will also be participating in competition.

"It's the Valais Blacknose Sheep class we're competing in. There are classes for Ewes, the Rams and Groups of Valais, pretty much everything," she says.

You'll be able to see the Valais Blacknose Sheep throughout the show, with the competition taking place on April 16 during the Sydney Royal Sheep & Fleece Competition.

"We're just trying to get out there and show the breed. And we take pride in our animals," Kim says.

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