Chris was found last Wednesday at Mulligans Flat on the northern outskirts of Canberra carrying an enormous, 47-centimetre thick fleece. Gun shearer Ian Elkins took 40.45 kilos of wool off the big jumbuck, a world record, which made him a global media star.

A week before Chris was found, another merino with three years of wool growth, was caught on the opposite side of Horse Park Drive, at Well Station. John Hudson, father of Peter Hudson who bought the small farm in 2011, said they had been looking at a scrubby patch of land when they spotted the big sheep.

"The other day he was lying down and I snuck up on him and grabbed him, took him back to Well Station," Mr Hudson. "The wool on him is nowhere near the length it was on [Chris].

"That was probably five years [growth], this one was two or three [years growth]. He would be flat out to have 20 kilos on him, compared to the other bloke with about 40."

Well Station hosts school children learning about life on the land, including 100 pupils who watched Mr Hudson, a former sheep stud owner, wig-shear the sheep to remove wool from around his eyes.

"We'll have to name him," Mr Hudson said to his curious audience.

"Shaun!" cried one of the children from Harrison School. The name stuck.

Mr Hudson said it was not unusual to find the odd unshorn sheep in hilly country. "It would have been easy enough for this fellow to get through the fence. Once he is through there, he's in a 400 acre paddock on his own with the kangaroos. "

Yass wool grower Frank Kaveney, who had sheep on agistment on both sides of Horse Park Drive at Well Station and Mulligans Flat, says it is highly likely Chris and Shaun belong to him.

"From time to time the government would ask us to come in and graze [paddocks].They were not technically part of Goorooyarroo at the time, we used to call that Mulligans Flat, the official Mulligans Flat was on the ridge behind us.

"The roos are always punching holes in the fence up there, we had ongoing trouble with the boundary with Goorooyarroo. We would fix it up and the rangers wouldn't do a thing.

"The ridge up in there is quite scrubby. I'm surprised the rangers hadn't seen [stray sheep] earlier, they should have noticed it for years. They drive through all the time."

Mr Kaveney, principal of Tallawong Merinos, Yass, has a self-replacing flock. He said if the sheep were his, Mr Elkins would recognise their markings.

Mr Elkins said Chris did not have an ear tag, or ear mark and was a medium wool merino. Mr Hudson said Shaun was a fine wool merino.

Mr Elkins will have a closer look at Shaun on September 16, when he shears the stray wether at Exhibition Park in Canberra, during a promotion for the Royal National Capital Agricultural Society.

Mr Hudson and Mr Elkins said Shaun and Chris were of hardy stock to have survived in such good shape.