Re-EWE-nited! Fiona, Britain’s loneliest sheep has been visited by the woman who helped rescue her from a life of solitude
- Kayaker Jill Turner raised alarm when she spotted Fiona at bottom of a cliff
She was Britain’s loneliest sheep, stranded all by herself on a rocky beach for more than two years.
But now Fiona the ewe – whose plight touched the hearts of the nation – has been reunited with the woman who was instrumental in getting her rescued from a life of solitude.
Jill Turner was sea-kayaking in the Cromarty Firth in 2021 when she spotted the sheep trapped at the foot of cliffs.
When she returned to the same spot in October this year and saw the animal was still there, she raised the alarm – prompting a daring rescue mission.
Last month, after Fiona was winched 800ft to safety by a team of animal lovers, her lonely ordeal was over and she was rehomed with other animals at Dalscone Farm, near Dumfries.
And last week Ms Turner visited Fiona for a heartwarming reunion. As though saying ‘thank ewe’, the sheep nuzzled Ms Turner’s hands as the kayaker knelt beside her.
In her comfy – and more sociable – new home, Fiona seems to give a thank-you nuzzle to Ms Turner
Jill first raised concerns about the plight of Fiona when she kayaked past on two consecutive years
Fiona spent more than two years in solitude at the bottom of a cliff
Ben Best, of Dalscone Farm, said: ‘It was really nice to see them together. It was lovely for the story to come full circle.’
The country was captivated when Ms Turner shared a picture of Fiona looking extremely shaggy.
As revealed in The Scottish Mail on Sunday last month, Fiona was saved from her solitary existence on the beach in Easter Ross by a five-strong daredevil rescue team led by Ayrshire farmer Cammy Wilson, who abseiled down to the beach. After finding Fiona in a cave, the rescuers were able to winch her up.
The team named her after a character from the animated film Shrek – a princess called Fiona. Since leaving her beach she has been enjoying life with new friends at Dalscone Farm, cared for by Mr Best and his team.
Ms Turner hailed the rescue as ‘brilliant news’ and contacted the farm after hearing where Fiona was being looked after.
Mr Best said: ‘Jill got in touch to see how Fiona was getting on and introduce herself as the person that first saw her and raised the alarm, bringing the world’s attention to her. I invited her to come down and she did, which was really nice, and gave her some closure too.’
He said Fiona has only been used to the male farmers around her but took to Ms Turner after a few minutes and even ate out of her hand.
Mr Best said Fiona has settled in at the farm, adding: ‘She just chews her cud and has her wee bed of straw she likes to lie in. She’s loving life.’
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