Fiona, who was hailed as Britain’s loneliest sheep, has been rescued from a remote shoreline in the Scottish Highlands. The ewe had been stranded at the foot of cliffs on the Cromarty Firth for more than two years. Despite earlier attempts to rescue her, animal welfare groups had said that any such efforts would be “incredibly complex”.
However, a group of five farmers managed to haul her up a steep slope to safety. The group of farmers plan to shear her overgrown fleece to allow for proper care, and then intend to hand her over to a farm park. The rescue, organised by Cammy Wilson, a sheep shearer from Ayrshire, was carried out with heavy equipment and took a personal effort from four others.
When speaking about the mission, Mr Wilson said, “She’s in incredible condition. She is about a condition score of about 4.5, she is overfat – it was some job lifting her up that slope.” The sheep will find a new home in a special place where she can be seen every day.
The rescue followed coverage of Fiona’s plight by BBC’s Landward programme and gained further attention after a kayaker spotted her. The Scottish SPCA was unable to find a safe way to rescue her but was made aware that a group of individuals with climbing expertise were attempting to save the stranded sheep by descending down to where she was trapped. A spokesperson for the charity said: “Thankfully the sheep is in good bodily condition, aside from needing to be sheared. She will now be taken to a specialist home within Scotland to rest and recover.”
Fiona’s story sparked a petition calling for her rescue, which garnered over 52,000 signatures. Jill Turner, who first came across the stranded sheep while kayaking in 2021, was shocked to see her still there two years later and called for her to be rescued. The full story of Fiona’s rescue will be shared on the BBC’s Landward programme due to be broadcast on the BBC Scotland channel
Read the full article from The BBC here: Read More