In the vast expanse of the Scottish Highlands, where cliffs meet the sea, a sheep found itself lost and alone, stranded with seemingly no hope of rescue.
Fiona, named the “loneliest sheep” in Britain, had been alone for more than two years, until a group of unlikely heroes emerged.
And just like that, the resilient ewe found herself at the center of a daring rescue by a group of farmers.
Last month, kayaker Jillian Turner stumbled upon Fiona, with a large fleece, on the shores of Cromarty Firth in the Scottish Highlands. The sight of the sheep, calling out along the beach, sparked a renewed effort to bring her to safety.
Fiona had been stuck on the cliff after falling down the hill when she was young. There had been no way to rescue her until recently.
A sheep dubbed “Britain’s loneliest sheep” has been rescued and is no longer lonely. Photo by The Sheep Game
Turner, along with over 50,000 supporters who signed a petition on Change.org, sought help from various organizations. However, initial hesitations from Fiona’s owner, the Coast Guard, and the Scottish SPCA made the rescue seem improbable.
In a twist of fate, five farmers, Graeme Parker, James Parker, Cammy Wilson, Als Couzens, and Ally Williamson, stepped up to the challenge. Wilson, moved by Fiona’s plight, contacted her owner to discuss a rescue plan. Despite warnings about the risks involved, the group decided to take a chance and devise a daring plan.
Using an all-terrain vehicle with a winch attached, the farmers descended the steep cliffside over 3,781 feet to reach Fiona. The mission, guided only by drone footage, unfolded with Fiona discovered in a cave, basking in a patch of sunlight. The successful rescue effort was a testament to the determination and bravery of the farmers.
We weren’t exactly sure what we were going to find when we got there. All we had to go on was drone footage,” Parker said.
Then they found what they were searching for.
“About half a mile before turning into the Cromarty Firth, we spotted a sheep on a shingle beach at the bottom of some steep, rocky coastline,” Turner said. “She saw us coming and was calling to us along the length of the beach, following our progress until she could go no further. She finally turned back, looking defeated.”
The rescuers didn’t give up. They climbed down the cliff and put Fiona in a canvas feed bag, with a hole cut out for her nose – and pulled her back up the cliff.
“I have never worked with a sheep as calm as she is,” Wilson said. “She has essentially had unlimited grass to eat for two years and she is what we would describe as fat in the sheep world.”
Wilson shared that Fiona would live in a pen initially, gradually integrating with other animals.
There’s gonna be one less lonely sheep,” as Fiona, once known as “Britain’s loneliest sheep,” is now in safe hands.
Farmer Ben Best of Dalscone Farm shared that Fiona has settled in brilliantly, eating and drinking with enthusiasm. She is also nearly 20 pounds lighter, after having her first shear.
When she was rescued, Fiona weighed 200 lbs. without her wool. Photo by The Sheep Game
The journey to rescue Fiona garnered attention and support from people worldwide, echoing the collective desire for compassion and kindness towards animals. The story of Fiona, named in homage to the iconic “Shrek” franchise, reflects the resilience of these creatures and the lengths individuals will go to for a noble cause.
As for her rescuers, they admit that their road to saving Fiona could have gone badly, but they were just the right people for the job.
“So sometimes you just need a group of idiots to get a job done,” Wilson said. “We got a great result today but a slip of a foot and we would have just been fools with good intentions.”
And now, thanks to them, Fiona will have the rest of her life to enjoy the company of others.
Watch below to see the sheep’s amazing rescue.
