by Ruth S. Baker

“In Senegal, Ladoum sheep can cost tens of thousands of dollars.
Measuring up to four feet tall, they’re prized as pets and status symbols.”
—National Geographic

In Senegal, the finest sheep
Command a price that might look steep:
About ten million francs apiece—
An estimate which might increase;
This is a pet you’d want to keep.

They’re leggy, well equipped to leap:
I wonder how their owners sleep?
They must have diligent police
In Senegal.

Their horns are round, their eyes are deep
Enough to make the angels weep;
And though in fact they have no fleece,
It would, for sure, be pure of grease,
And, were it sold, would not come cheap
In Senegal.