A female sheep, known as the loneliest in Britain, was saved by a team of farmers from a secluded shingle beach in the Scottish Highlands.
Fiona, the sheep with a large wool coat, had been stuck at the base of cliffs in Cromarty Firth for a minimum of two years. Despite rescue efforts being considered “extremely challenging” by an animal welfare organization, she remained stranded.
However, five farmers were able to pull her up a steep incline, and they are now planning to transport her to a farm park.
Cammy Wilson, a sheep shearer from Ayrshire and a presenter on the BBC’s Landward program, took charge of the rescue operation after learning about Fiona’s situation through media coverage.
In a Facebook video, he stated that they had brought heavy machinery to assist in getting a sheep up a very steep incline.
She is in great shape and her condition score is around 4.5. However, she is overweight and it was difficult to lift her up the slope.
She will be visiting a well-known and unique location, where you can see her online every day.
Jillian Turner came across the sheep for the first time two years ago during a kayaking trip with her club along the Sutherland coastline. She assumed that the sheep would find its way back home on its own and didn’t think much of it afterwards.
On her most recent trip, she was appalled to come across the same creature again.
When Turner first saw the sheep, she shared with the Northern Times: “As we were approaching the Cromarty Firth, we noticed a sheep on a shingle beach by a steep and rocky coastline about half a mile away.”
As we approached, she noticed us and called out to us from the shoreline, watching as we made our way down the beach. However, she eventually gave up and turned back, appearing defeated.
Turner was struck by the sighting and was in disbelief when she spotted the same sheep during her recent trip.
Turner reported that she vocalized our method and once more trailed the team along the coastline, leaping from one boulder to another while continuously calling out to us.
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She described the sheep’s fleece as “enormous” and reaching the ground at the back. Turner expressed that the experience was emotional.
“We had high hopes that she would recover during her first year. Sadly, the ewe has been alone for a minimum of two years. This must be agony for a herd animal, and she appeared eager to communicate with us the two times we passed by her.”
Turner attempted to coordinate assistance from multiple organizations, but was unsuccessful.
She explained that she reached out to the Cairngorm mountain rescue team, who were understanding, but they are unable to intervene unless they receive a call from an emergency service like the police or fire department.
I reached out to the SSPCA (Scottish Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) and the person I spoke with was understanding. However, an inspector later informed me that they were already aware of the sheep’s situation and it was not in harm’s way.
Source: theguardian.com
