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»Animal Rising: Animal rights activists demand »freedom« for Fiona

Photo: Animal Rising

After about two years, the "loneliest sheep in Britain" was rescued at the weekend on a remote Scottish pebble beach – but now there are disputes about the animal's future. Animal rights activists have criticized plans to house it in an adventure farm called Dalscone Farm Fun, as reported by the Guardian and the BBC, among others.

The group »Animal Rising« demands: Fiona – as the sheep was baptized – should be placed in a sanctuary. On Sunday, there was a protest action in front of the Dalscone Farm - there are different accounts of how this took place. The animal rights activists speak of a "peaceful, non-violent demonstration". On the farm side, however, it is said that it was a "frightening" and "intimidating" visit by the activists. According to the Guardian, even the police were called, but they found "no problems" on the spot.

"Best home" or "spectacle"?

But what happens to Fiona now? She will be kept in a "secret location" until it is deemed safe to transport her, according to the farm. The adventure farm will be closed for the next five months due to the winter, so the sheep will have plenty of time to settle in. A representative of the adventure farm, who calls himself "Farmer Ben", accuses the animal rights activists of blocking the move to a better life: "We are literally giving her the best home she could get – and that is blocked at the moment. And that's a shame."

Animal Rising, on the other hand, argues that in this "petting zoo" Fiona is being "exploited" for money and turned into a "spectacle."

A female kayaker had first spotted Fiona in 2021 and seen her again on the beach two years later. Recently, a petition to save the animal was launched, which received more than 55,000 signatures.

It has now been rescued by a sheep shearer named Cammy Wilson, who hosts a BBC programme about farming and rural life. He had gathered a group of volunteers who pushed the animal up the mountain – and partially hoisted it, he reported in a video published on Facebook. Animal Rising said it was planning a similar rescue operation when the group learned that it had been pre-empted.

bbr/dpa