An animal stranded on the edge of a Scottish cliff for two years has been dubbed ‘Britain’s loneliest sheep’.
An appeal has been launched to reunite the sheep with a flock after kayakers spotted the ewe along the Moray Firth’s east Highland coast, in Scotland, two years ago.
The canoe group reportedly thought at the time that the sheep would find its own way back to the fields when they spotted it in 2021. The canoe club took the same journey again recently to find the animal was still there.
The sheep was first spotted in 2021— (Jill Turner/Peter Jolly Northpix)
The Scottish SPCA says they are aware of the sheep but have not been able to ascertain who the sheep belongs to.
Jill Turner, from nearby Brora, told the Northern Times the animal looked “defeated” when she saw them.
“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,” she 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 canoe group was heartbroken to see the same sheep still stranded two years later— (Jill Turner/Peter Jolly Northpix)
Ms Turner told to the Northern Times: “She called out on our approach and once again followed the group along the shore jumping from rock to rock, calling to us the whole way.”
The concerned kayaker said that her fleece looked “soaking wet” and overgrown. She added that the experience for the flock animal must be “torture” and she seemed “desperate to make contact”.
It is understood by the Northern Times that the sheep is not of the same breed as those belonging to farmers in the local areas and that it could have been part of a flock grazing nearby temporarily.
Ms Turner has called for the sheep to be rescued urgently— (Jill Turner/Peter Jolly Northpix)
Ms Turner has called for the sheep to be rescued urgently and said she would be able to “home it” with a farmer friend if it is saved.
Scottish SPCA chief superintendent Mike Flynn said: “The Scottish SPCA is aware of the sheep that is stranded at the bottom of a cliff in Brora. The sheep has ample grazing in the area but we have not been able to ascertain who the sheep belongs to. We will continue to have further checks when the weather allows and it is safe to do so.”
