Where will Fiona the Ewe be taken? 'Britain's loneliest sheep' rescued in remarkable fashion

For around two years, Fiona the Ewe, fondly referred to as 'Britain's loneliest sheep' was stranded in the Scottish Highlands, as per BBC. She was trapped at the foot of a remote deserted cliff in the Highlands, with her fleece overgrown and matted.

Fiona was rescued by a group of five men on Saturday, November 4. The rescue was organized by Cammy Wilson, a farmer and sheep shearer. After being taken to a specialist home to recover, Fiona is all set to live at the Dalscone Farm.

However, an animal rights group called Animal Rising, claimed that their rescue operation was hijacked as they protested against moving the animal to the farm.

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"Heavy equipment" was used to haul the sheep up the slope and rescue her

'Britain's loneliest sheep,' Fiona the Ewe, lived alone, stranded at the bottom of a remote Scottish Highlands cliff for around two years. On Saturday, she was rescued by a group of five men, with the rescue efforts organized by Ayrshire farmer, and sheep shearer, Cammy Wilson, who decided to help after seeing the media coverage about the animal.

Cammy Wilson broke the news of the rescue via a Facebook video he posted on his account, The Sheep Game. He detailed that the men used "heavy equipment" to haul the animal up an "incredible slope." He stated that the animal was "fettle" and further mentioned:

"She’s over fat and it was some job lifting her up that slope."

'Farmer Ben' from the Dalscone Farm then released a video on Facebook confirming that Fiona was headed to the farm and that they were preparing for her arrival. Although closed during the winter months, Dalscone is a farm park open to the public in the warmer months of the year.

The Scottish SPCA, although not directly involved in the rescue due to lack of experience and equipment required for the operation, witnessed the proceedings from the hillside. The animal was inspected by the SPCA and a spokesperson said:

"The team brought the ewe up successfully and our Inspector examined her. Thankfully the sheep is in good bodily condition, aside from needing to be sheared. She will now be taken to a specialist home within Scotland to rest and recover."

They added:

"We are delighted that the sheep, who the rescue group have named Fiona is safe and well, ready to start her new life."

Cammy Wilson later posted an update about Fiona in a halfway home before reaching her final destination. She was described as being in incredible condition. The next day he posted another update, showcasing Fiona, who was free of her overgrown and matted Fleece and looked much cleaner.

"Fiona was amazing, she sat perfectly still the whole way through. 🥰 I’ve never worked with such a calm sheep. It was incredible," he said on Facebook.

Cammy stated in yet another Facebook post that they used an "old school hand shear" for the animal's first shear in order to leave a "nice layer of wool" that'll keep her warm in the winter.

"Fiona’s massive fleece will go to Wooldale Wool to be made into something amazing that we can raffle off for charity," he continued.

On Monday, the Dalscone Farm Facebook account went live and confirmed that Fiona had finally arrived at their farm. Farmer Ben reported that the animal who just arrived at her new "forever home" was doing well. He also confirmed that the sheep had been eating and drinking well.

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Dalscone Farm vs Animal Rising: A battle for Fiona

Despite the successful rescue, there was one group that did not seem to take too kindly to the sequence of events. Animal rights group, Animal Rising claimed that the group who had done the rescue had allegedly hijacked their planned rescue attempt. They claimed that the landowner had reportedly given them the go-ahead to rescue the animal on Sunday and bring it to the Tribe Animal Sanctuary near Glasgow.

Animal Rising stated that they spent five days organizing the rescue. They also claimed to have formed a bond with Fiona. In a video released by the organization, members of their team could be seen climbing down and attempting to contact and build trust with the sheep.

However, on Saturday morning they claimed that the same landowner reportedly backtracked on his word and allowed another group to rescue the sheep and take her to what they described as the "Dalscone Farm Fun petting zoo." The group further stated in a series of tweets:

"Whilst we are pleased she is no longer stranded at the base of a cliff, she has just gone from isolation to exploitation."

They added:

"It is completely inappropriate that she would be taken to be made a spectacle of at a petting zoo."

When it was announced that the animal would be moved into Dalscone, a few protestors from the organization showed up at the farm with placards that read "Free Fiona." Dalscone Farm's Farmer Ben released a Facebook video and said that the presence of the protestors, who even had a drone fly around the farm, made the staff and family residing on the farm feel "intimidated."

"We're going to give Fiona a five-star home, we are going to get her some amazing friends," he said.

Animal Rising themselves directly replied to the video apologizing for the stressful situation but also proclaimed that Fiona did not deserve to be made a "spectacle of at a petting zoo." Cammy Wilson then replied by saying that the sheep would have five months to acclimatize before the public gets to see her.

Cammy Wilson (The Sheep Game) replied to Animal Rising (Image via Facebook)

Animal Rising launched a petition to 'Free Fiona' and move her to a sanctuary. It has amassed 8,097 signatures out of 12,800, as of this writing. However, for now, the animal remains healthy at Dalscone Farm.