Eli5: why do sheep need to be sheared ?

Question

I see these fun videos of people shearing sheep and talking about how it needs to be done and I grew up on a farm and sheared sheep but why do we actually need to do that like in the wild there is nobody shearing them ?

What happens to sheeps in the wild?

In: 7

Answer 1

Sheep have been bred to produce more wool and therefore can be in danger without sheering as a result of the extra weight or suffocation. A wild sheep has much less wool and therefore no danger