Found by bushwalker Kerry Reid, Alex - as he was named after being found - was in a sorry state of health and unable to stand.

Similar to Baarack the sheep - whom the sanctuary took in last year with a massive fleece of 34.5 kg - Alex's plight was no less urgent or critical.

"I'm not sure how long the poor fellow had been lying there, but judging by the length of his fleece, he has not been shorn in many a year," Edgar's Mission founder and director Pam Ahern said.

"Had he not been found when he was, he would have passed from this world.

"We knew for certain was that we wanted to give him every chance to live."

Enlisting the help of those present - Ms Reid, a local wildlife carer and first responder; and the Edgar's Mission team - Alex was gently rolled onto a sling and lifted into the rescue vehicle where fluids were administered.

"I had great difficulty making my way through all that matted fleece to find a passage in to place a drip line,' Ms Ahern said.

"And it wasn't too far into our journey home when Alex's head shot up and he looked me in the eye. In that instant, I knew he was going to live."

Although Alex was literally out of the woods, the metaphor still applied.

Knowing how crucial it was for Alex's survival to remove that tormenting matted mess that cocooned him, the sanctuary team reached out to local shearers for assistance, despite midnight hovering.

The pair laboured for just over an hour and eventually the wether was relieved of 40kg of urine-soaked wool, complete with sticks, twigs, insects and even maggots.

IN OTHER NEWS:

Not long thereafter, Alex stood on wobbly legs as he was guided to his stall.

The Edgar's Mission team saw so many similarities between Alex finding sanctuary and that of Baarack; both were wethers around seven years of age and both of Merino breeding.

Both highlighted the problems inherent when sheep are not shorn, and both displayed the smarts of sheep and their resilience to survive against the odds in inhospitable terrain.