Britain's loneliest sheep settling in to 'safe' new home at Dalscone Farm, Dumfries despite animal rights protest

A “chill” sheep dubbed the “loneliest in Britain” is settling in to its new home after being rescued from a Highland cliff.

Fiona the ewe arrived at Dalscone Farm in secret following a protest by animal rights activists having been stranded on a rocky outcrop near Brora for two years.

The sheep was rescued by specialist climbing teams on Saturday, but a demonstration by the animal rising group – who said they were planning their own extraction mission – threatened to delay her arrival at the farm near Dumfries.

The animal was eventually transported to the family attraction “under cover of darkness” and is now “relaxing” in her new surroundings.

Shearer Cameron Wilson said Fiona was in the ideal environment. STV News

Shearer Cameron Wilson, who led Saturday’s rescue, said he was “relieved” the ordeal was over, and reassured those concerned for Fiona’s welfare that she was safe and happy.

“I’ve worked with sheep my entire life and I’ve never dealt with a sheep as relaxed,” he said.

“I think the kids nowadays would say she is chill. She was so relaxed all the way up.

“Being terrified of heights and of dying, I was very, very relieved, I must admit, but even more relieved that we got her up there without her having any issues.”

Animal rising had launched a petition Fiona’s rehoming, claiming that she should be taken to a “sanctuary” and not turned into “a spectacle”.

The group claimed they had been preparing their own rescue of the sheep on Sunday and had agreed to take her to the Tribe Animal Sanctuary, near Glasgow.

In a statement, they criticised the farm as a “stressful environment” for the animal to be in, branding it “completely inappropriate”.

The visitor attraction’s farm section is closed to the public.

Mr Wilson said the farm had a reputation for “transparency” and said he was confident it was the perfect place for Fiona to recover.

“Stress can be a real concern for an animal like Fiona, but she just kept relaxed,” he added.

“As soon as we made plans to go and rescue her, we had to find a home for her and it was the first place that came to mind. Dalscone Farm here in Dumfries is, you can see behind me here, the amount of animals they have and how well looked after and everything is totally transparent.”