An Albanian shepherd uses shears in a traditional way to remove wool from his sheep, at a stable, near city of Vlora. /Adnan Beci/AFP
A crushing heatwave has forced shepherds in southern Albania to rush forward the shearing of their sheep to save them from suffocating in their wool coats under the soaring temperatures.
In the Dukat plain, which runs from the Ceraunian (Thunderbolt) Mountains to the Adriatic Sea, temperatures are already reaching 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) and beyond.
The shearers have been forced to start work at dawn and finish by late morning to escape the worst of the exceptional heat.
Shepherds removing wool from sheep early due to the sudden increase of temperatures, as unexpected heat waves can be fatal for the animals. /Adnan Beci/AFP
The sheep, weighed down by the thick coats and packed tightly together in a small enclosure, bleat as they wait to be sheared in the scorching sun.
The bells around their necks punctuate the clip of the shears and the chat of the shepherds as they work.
"The heatwave of the past few days, with temperatures suddenly abnormally high" meant the shepherds had to move fast, explained biologist Nexhip Hysolokaj.
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Shearing normally takes place at the end of June but the brutal change in climate has forced shepherds to bring it forward.
The sheep were struggling, said Hysolokaj. "Unexpected heatwaves can be fatal" for them, he added.
Unshorn sheep are at far more risk because their wool prevents their sweat from evaporating.
An Albanian shepherd piles-up freshly sheared-off from his sheep, at a stable, near Vlora. /Adnan Beci/AFP
This year's higher temperatures have not only brought forward the shearing season, it has also affected milk production, said shepherd Syrja Brahimi.
From 65 kilograms (143 pounds) per ewe last year, they are now down to 50, he said.
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