Humans aren't the only animals who need sweaters to keep out the cold. It turns out that many animals benefit from snuggling into a nice, cozy knit from time to time — and look way more adorable doing it than your average human.
So far, we've seen all kinds of creatures in delightful little sweaters, including greyhounds, chickens, ponies, ducks, and penguins. But it turns out that even the animal we'd think least likely to need a sweater sometimes needs one, too.
That's right, we're talking the very creature that basically invented sweaters: the sheep.
Though sheep are warm and woolly when they're older, when they're babies, they're much less so. Lambs are small and don't have very thick fur, and so they need an extra layer to keep warm during the still-freezing mornings of early spring.
At the Avon Valley Adventure and Wildlife Park in England, the lambs usually wear raincoat-like plastic jackets to stay warm.
But recently, an anonymous donor left them eight bright, hand-knit sweaters specifically for the lambs.
And the results are about as face-meltingly adorable as you can imagine. Take a look below if you don't believe us.
[H/T: Lost At E Minor, Mashable]
While the tiny lambs usually wear plastic jackets to keep warm during the region's frigid mornings, this year, they're getting a bit more stylish.
Instead of plastic, this year's lambs are enjoying some hand-knit sweaters created by mystery crafters.
The sweaters arrived early one morning in an anonymous package. There were eight in total, all just the right size for the park's newborn lambs.
Doug Douglas, the park manager at Avon Valley, says that keeping the lambs warm is incredibly important during the earliest part of their lives. If not kept sufficiently warm, the lambs could die.
"The plastic jackets we pit on them I admit are not great to look at, but ultimately increase their survival by up to 50 percent," he says.
But now that they have these bright, patterned sweaters, they can look fashionable and stay warm.
The lambs also interact with visitors, who can pet and feed them.
"They are wonderfully colored and certainly brighten up our animal handling barn," Douglas says of the sweaters.
And they're perfect for letting the lambs play and explore outside, too.
The staff of Avon Valley still doesn't know who their mystery knitter is, but they extend their warmest thanks.
You can see more of the adorable residents of Avon Valley Adventure and Wildlife Park on their website and Facebook page.
And be sure to SHARE this cuddly story with your friends!
