<p>A sheep close to death because of its 40kg fleece has been saved after shelter workers intervened - and gave it a shave.</p><p>The animal, dubbed Alex, was found at the top of a mountain in Victoria, Australia last week.</p><p>A local bushwalker stumbled upon the sheep, which was unable to stand due to his overgrown wool.</p><p>Edgar's Mission, a sanctuary for rescued farm animals, then got involved and removed the wool - in the nick of time.</p><p>Pam Ahern, Edgar's Mission's founder and director, said: "I’m not sure how long the poor fellow had been lying there.</p><p>"But I do know that, judging by the length of his fleece, he had not been shorn in many a year, and had he not been found when he was, he would have passed from this world."</p><p>Video shows workers removing Alex's heavy coat, which is believed to be just shy of the Guinness World Record.</p><p>The current record for a fleece stands at a 41.1kg, and lies in the National Museum of Australia in Canberra.</p>
