Sheep owners, Edwin Schnydrig (l), and Oswald Schnydrig, pause for a beer between washing Walliser Blacknose sheep, in preparation for the annual Mund, Oberwallis, Switzerland show and judging competition.
Native to the Swiss Alps region of Oberwallis, the rare Walliser (Valais in French) Black Nose sheep is designated an UNESCO World Heritage breed. Known as a domesticate as early as the15th century, Black Nose numbers today are estimated to be no more than 14,000 animals, bordering on “endangered species” classification.