Senegal’s prized Ladoum sheep compete in a sheep beauty pageant

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(29 Jun 2025)
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ASSOCIATED PRESS
Guediawaye, Senegal - 28 June 2025
1. People standing with Niang Ballo, a highly decorated Ladoum sheep, as other sheep stand in their pens at the ADEELA (Ladoum Breeders' Alliance) festival
2. Close of Niang Ballo
4. SOUNDBITE (French) Mohamed Wane, businessman and breeder:
“And based on measurements and aesthetics, because there are aesthetic criteria, like the curvature of the head, the length of the tail, the symmetry of the horns, etc., the hair. After that they determine who comes first according to a very, very, let's say, scrutinized scale because there's a jury each time.”
5. Close of Niang Ballo's collar
6. Pan from Niang Ballo to other sheep in pens
8. Women from the Association of Women for the Improvement and Development of Livestock Breeding in Senegal standing with one of their sheep
9. SOUNDBITE (Wolof) Fatou Seye, vice president of the women breeders’ association:
“This is what we want (more women breeders), that's why we mobilized to create this association. The association isn't just in Dakar. It covers all regions of Senegal. I live in Diourbel. We're in Dakar, Mbour, Kaolack, even Gambia, and Mauritania.”
10. Various of sheep standing in position to be judged at the pageant
11. Various of Maniane Ndaw and his prized sheep Alou after winning best junior male
13. SOUNDBITE (French) Maniane Ndaw, breeder:
“For me, it’s a great, great pleasure, because before him, his father won titles, and now his son came along and has also won a title. So it shows that the lineage is a good one. And as the lineage continues to confirm its supremacy, I believe that people will want (to buy the offspring).”
15. Various of male sheep standing as they are awarded first, second, and third best male adult sheep
STORYLINE:
Sheep competed for prizes Sunday at one of Senegal's regularly held sheep pageants.

One of the stars of the show in Guediawaye, on the outskirts of Dakar, was Niang Ballo.

Niang Ballo is a Ladoum sheep, a specialized breed from Senegal which is bred for its height and strong features and his owner, Mohamed Wane, claims he’s the most decorated sheep in Senegal.

Niang Ballo has won six titles, beginning when he was a lamb.

“Based on measurements and aesthetics, because there are aesthetic criteria, like the curvature of the head, the length of the tail, the symmetry of the horns, etc., the hair – after that they determine who comes first according to a very, very, let's say, scrutinized scale, because there's a jury each time,” he said.

A sheep getting a title at one of these pageants, where there are separate categories for male and female sheep and adults and junior sheep, increases the value of its bloodline.

Ladoum breeders are acutely aware of their sheep’s lineage, from both the mother’s and father’s side.

These sheep are not bred to be eaten.

Decorated sheep are fiercely sought after for breeding purposes, and the more decorated, the more valuable.

Ladoum breeding is an expensive business.

Many Ladoum breeders, like Wane, are businessmen, which has given them the capital needed to be a part of the Ladoum breeding world.

The sheep can sell for tens of thousands of dollars, and Wane said he was offered nearly $100,000 for Niang Ballo, and refused.

Ladoum breeding is a notably male-dominated domain, but women take part too – and some women are trying to expand Ladoum breeding’s footprint in society.

Fatou Seye, the vice president of a women breeder’s association, said they want more women to be breeders.











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