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The sheep once known as the loneliest in Britain has recently experienced a significant milestone by giving birth for the very first time. Situated at Dalscone Farm in Dumfries, this special sheep had her pregnancy confirmed earlier this year. Now, after spending more than two years at the farm, she has welcomed twins—a boy and a girl—although their names have not yet been chosen.
Fiona, as the sheep is called, received her name in reference to a story about a solitary sheep found in New Zealand some years ago. According to Cammy Wilson, a professional shearer who led the Scottish rescue effort, the New Zealand sheep had been named after the animated character Shrek. Hence, the Scottish counterpart was fittingly named Fiona, after Shrek’s on-screen wife. When Fiona arrived in Dumfries, she was in poor physical condition and considerably overweight, which required time and care before she was deemed fit enough to have lambs.
The decision to allow Fiona to give birth was made around two years after her rescue, once her health had improved sufficiently. Ben Best, the farmer at Dalscone, described the birthing process as relatively smooth, although occasionally challenging. He shared that the twins were born naturally and were both doing very well. While the lambs remain unnamed for now, Ben mentioned, “No names yet but we are brainstorming. We have a little boy and a little girl so she has got one of each which is kind of perfect. There are a lot of suggestions for Shrek’s children.”
Ben explained that the reason for deciding to breed Fiona was partly due to her failure to fully bond with other sheep. “It never really happened, if I am being totally honest with you—she never really took 100% to any other sheep,” he said. “She always kept herself to herself and that was one of the main reasons that we put her in lamb. We wanted her to have her own little family and we wanted that bond—it was the bond that we were looking for.” Although there had been some initial concerns about how Fiona would respond to motherhood, she immediately formed a close attachment to her lambs. “She took to them straight away and was licking them and just absolutely adored them. When you see that bond, and just that love she had for the lambs, it vindicates the decision.” Since her rescue in 2023, Fiona’s progress has been closely monitored and shared via social media, and now she has an important new chapter ahead of her life at Dalscone Farm
Read the full article from The BBC here: Read More
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