PETA has placed a life-sized sheep statue covered in cartoon protest slogans in the Jackson Town Square, leaving Wyoming sheep ranchers shaking their heads about why the animal activist group would target people in the state’s most politically blue county.
The traveling exhibit — created by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) — appeared Tuesday and will remain in the middle of Jackson through May 18.
“I’m not your socks!” reads the protest sign one sad-looking cartoon sheep on the statue reads. “Try a human chop!” says another. Another asks, “Where is your empathy?"
PETA says the sheep statue is there “to remind shoppers that wool comes from terrified sheep who are beaten, stomped on and violently killed.”
Wyoming sheep producers, however, say the whole thing is less an urgent humanitarian crisis and more performance art with hooves.
“Sheep are sheared once a year. That’s a normal process,” said Jim Magagna, executive vice president of the Wyoming Stock Growers Association and a lifelong sheep rancher.
PETA, meanwhile, says the display is meant to spark conversations about what it calls “wool cruelty.”
“PETA is always looking for creative ways to get attention to animals,” said Amanda Brody, PETA campaigns media manager. “Our sheep statue helps remind everyone that sheep are no different from other animals. They deserve to live a life free from harm and abuse.”
Meet ‘E(n)d Shearin’’
The statue’s name “E(n)d Shearin’” is a woolly play on British pop singer Ed Sheeran. Sheeran was the voice behind an animated sheep named “Ed Shearin” in the 2025 film "Zootopia 2."
The statue itself features artwork from New Yorker cartoonist Harry Bliss and is plastered with slogans like “My children, your sweater. Wrong!” and “I love my family deeply."
PETA media officer Sara Groves told Cowboy State Daily the statue is made of fiberglass and weighs about 40 pounds.
“It definitely gets people’s attention,” said Brody, who helped install the display Monday.
Ranchers Say Sheep Need To Be Sheared
Brody said PETA hopes the display will raise awareness of “the suffering that is behind every wool rug or sweater.”
Because many shearers are paid by the volume of wool rather than hourly wages, “They work extremely fast and rough,” she said. That leads to the sheep being “beaten and bloody and cut to ribbons for wool.”
Magagna said PETA’s portrayal of sheep shearing bears little resemblance to the realities of sheep ranching in Wyoming.
“None of that is accurate,” he said, responding to claims sheep are routinely “beaten, stomped on and violently killed” for their wool.
Professional shearers are trained to handle sheep humanely, he said, adding that regular shearing is necessary for the animals’ health. Not shearing them is what would be cruel.
“The wool grows naturally,” he said.
In fact, failing to shear sheep can create serious problems.
The wool becomes thick, heavy and can be dangerously hot during summer months.
"If it’s cruel to the wool to shear the sheep, then it’s cruel for us humans to get haircuts," Magagna said. “You’re being cruel if you don’t shear them, to be honest.”
As for PETA’s phrase of “wool cruelty,” Magagna admitted he finds the concept a little hard to untangle.
“How are you cruel to wool?” he said. “If you’re buying vegan fabric, aren’t you being cruel to the vegetables?”
PETA favors the purchase of natural vegan fabrics, including organic cotton, linen, seaweed and wood.
Why Jackson?
A PETA announcing the placement of the statue in the Jackson Town Square says the statue is delivering a message to “wool hotspots.”
Because of the high-end boutiques and shops in the seat of the nation’s wealthiest county, Jackson qualifies.
PETA has focused its efforts of displaying the sheep in the nation’s top wool-producing states.
In 2025, Wyoming ranked No. 1 in the nation for wool production and fourth for sheep and lambs, according to Kerin Clark, Wyoming Farm Bureau Federation executive vice president.
“I think anywhere in Wyoming could be considered a wool hotpot,” Brody said.
Jackson also offers another advantage for the activist organization: tourists.
The town square is surrounded by shops selling wool sweaters, socks, blankets and other products — making it fertile grazing ground for PETA’s message.
The Jackson Town Council approved PETA’s temporary display permit before voting earlier this week to repeal a policy allowing unattended temporary displays in the Town Square.
The council had no basis to deny the display’s application, according to a statement. No one from the town council nor Jackson Mayor Arne Jorgensen returned Cowboy State Daily’s requests for comment.
Brody said PETA had also attempted to bring the statue to Cheyenne, but a permit application to display it there was denied.
“We do explore options, and ultimately, we want him to be where people will see this very important message,” she said.
For now, Jackson is E(n)d Shearin’s temporary pasture.
Until then, Wyoming residents can add one more unusual sight to Jackson’s tourist season lineup: elk antlers, mountain views, celebrity sightings — and one very opinionated sheep.
Kate Meadows can be reached at kate@cowboystatedaily.com.
