Ewe dubbed ‘Britain’s loneliest sheep’ struggles to bond with other farm animals following two years alone in the wilderness, reveals farmer

She was dubbed ‘Britain’s loneliest sheep’ after spending two years in solitary existence after falling from a steep cliff in the Highlands.

But twelve months after her daring rescue, the ewe, Fiona, is struggling to bond with her fellow farm animals and her new owner, fearing she has ‘forgotten how to be a sheep’.

The stranded mammal was spotted by a kayaker at the foot of a cliff at Cromarty Firth last year and it turned out she had been stuck there for more than two years.

A team of five animal lovers abseiled 250 meters to get her to safety before she was taken to Dalscone Farm in Dumfries, where she remains today.

Her heavy coat, which was so long it dragged on the ground, was sheared and sold for charity, while the then three-year-old also spearheaded a rural loneliness campaign.

Fiona was in desperate need of a shave after her rescue last year

A year later, farmer Ben Best, who has been caring for the sheep since the rescue, admitted that Fiona was having a bit of a hard time.

He told BBC Radio Scotland: ‘Although she is calm around people and seems to enjoy her life on the farm, she is still getting used to the company of other animals.

“She doesn’t get along very well with other sheep – I think it’s because she’s been alone and isolated at the bottom of the cliff for over two years – she’s kind of forgotten how to be a sheep.”

Fiona was first spotted by Jillian Turner who was kayaking near cliffs south of Baltintore, Easter Ross in 2021.

After returning to the same spot last October, she was angry to see that the lone sheep was still there. Her images of Fiona, which became an internet sensation, prompted the rescue operation.

A team, led by professional shearer Cammy Wilson, abseiled to the beach to retrieve Fiona, who weighed 92kg, from a cave where she had been hiding.

Using a winch mounted on a truck on top of the cliff, 200 meters of rope and a feed bag designed as a makeshift sling, rescuers managed to get her back to safety.

Farmer Ben Best fears Fiona has ‘forgotten how to be a sheep’ after living in isolation for two years

When he gave the sheep a new home last year, Mr Best said: ‘The loneliest sheep in the world is not lonely anymore.’

He described Fiona’s temperament as ‘relaxed’ and said the ewe is currently on a diet after having ‘put on quite a bit of weight’, meaning she cannot produce lambs in the short term.

Last December, Fiona featured in a Christmas campaign to combat loneliness in farming for the RSABI – founding 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 sheared and auctioned off for charity in July, raising an estimated £11,000 for charities.

Fiona’s name was inspired by a story about a New Zealand sheep named after a character from the animated comedy Shrek and rescued in 2004 before dying in 2011 at the age of 16.

Mr Wilson said the Scottish sheep should be called Fiona, after Shrek’s on-screen wife.