Britain's loneliest sheep left stuck on cliff for two years as 'heart-rending' story revealed

Lonely sheep

Britain's loneliest sheep left stuck on cliff for two years as 'heart-rending' story revealed

Jill Turner/GB News
Holly Bishop

By Holly Bishop


Published: 27/10/2023

- 14:44

The animal was first spotted by a kayker in 2021

A sheep that has been marooned at the foot of a cliff in the highlands for two years has been dubbed Britain’s loneliest sheep.

The animal was first spotted by Jillian Turner in 2021 whilst kayaking along the Moray Firth’s east Highland coast.


Turner recently took the same trip again and spotted the lonesome ewe again on the beach.

Drones have now been sent to check on the animal.

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Turner said that the sheep bleated out to her and her fellow kayakers.

She assumed that the sheep would be able to make its way up the rocky cliff face.

However, when she saw the same sheep again, she realised that the animal was likely stuck there.

She said: “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.”

ANIMAL NEWS:

“The poor ewe has been on her own for at least two years – for a flock animal that has to be torture, and she seemed desperate to make contact with us on the two occasions we’ve gone past her.

“It is heart-rending. We honestly thought she might make her way back up that first year.

“After the storm at the weekend I worry about whether she ­survived. With huge seas coming in and a deluge of water pouring down the gullies, it must have been ­traumatic for her if not fatal.”

The ewe’s overgrown fleece indicates it has been isolated for quite some time.

Sheep alone on the beach

The ewe’s overgrown fleece indicates it has been isolated for quite some time

Jill Turner

Turner said: “Her fleece on the first occasion was a normal year’s growth, ­however on the recent trip the fleece was huge and touching the ground at the back.”

She said that she has tried to contact different organisations that could help get the animal up the cliff.

Any rescue would require specialist equipment due to the difficult terrain.

It is not known who owns the sheep.

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