‘Britain’s loneliest sheep’ struggles to bond with different livestock
She was dubbed ‘Britain’s loneliest sheep’ after spending two years in solitary existence having fallen off a steep cliff in the Highlands.
But 12 months after her daring rescue, the ewe, Fiona, struggles to bond with her fellow farm-animals with her new owner fearing she’s ‘forgotten how to be a sheep’.
The stranded mammal was spotted at the foot of a cliff at Cromarty Firth by a kayaker last year and it emerged she had been stuck there for more than two years.
A team of five animal lovers abseiled 800 feet to winch her up to safety before she was taken to Dalscone Farm, in Dumfries, where she remains today.
Her heavy fleece, which was so long it was dragging the ground, was sheared and sold for charity while the then three-year-old also fronted a rural loneliness campaign.
Fiona was spotted living alone at the bottom of a cliff in a remote are of the Highlands
Fiona was in dire need of shearing following her rescue last year
A year on, farmer Ben Best who has looked after the sheep since the rescue, admitted Fiona was struggling a bit.
He told BBC Radio Scotland: ‘While she is calm with people and seems to enjoy her life on the farm, she is still getting used to being around other animals.
‘She doesn’t socialise very well with other sheep – I think it is just from being down by herself and isolated for over two years at the bottom of that cliff – she has kind of forgotten how to be a sheep.’
Fiona was first spotted by Jillian Turner who was kayaking by cliffs south of Baltintore, Easter Ross, in 2021.
After returning to the same spot last October, she was upset to see the lone sheep still there and her footage of Fiona, which became an internet sensation, prompted the rescue operation.
A team, led by professional shearer Cammy Wilson, abseiled down to the beach to retrieve Fiona, weighing 92kg, from a cave where she’d been sheltering.
Using a winch mounted on a truck at the top of the cliff, 650ft of rope and a feed bag designed as a makeshift sling, the rescuers managed to bring her back to safety.
Farmer Ben Best fears Fiona has ‘forgotten how to be a sheep’ following her two years living in isolation
On giving the sheep a new home last year, Mr Best said: ‘The world’s loneliest sheep is lonely no more.’
He described Fiona’s temperament as ‘laid back’ and said that the ewe is currently on a diet after ‘putting on a fair bit of weight’ meaning she cannot produce lambs any time soon.
Last December Fiona starred in a Christmas campaign to combat farming loneliness for the RSABI – founded the Royal Scottish Agricultural Benevolent Institution – and also featured in the Scottish Association of Young Farmers Clubs’ mental health message, Are Ewe OK?
Her overgrown wool was shorn and auctioned for charity in July, helping to raise an estimated £11,000 for good causes.
Fiona’s name was inspired by a tale about a New Zealand sheep which was named after a character in animated comedy Shrek and was rescued in 2004 before dying aged 16 in 2011.
Mr Wilson said the Scots sheep had to be called Fiona, after Shrek’s on-screen wife.
