Dramatic scenes as sheep pulled to safety by mountain rescue after gorge plunge

Mountain rescue teams were called in to assist after the animal got into difficultly in Balquhidder, around 10 miles north-west of Callander.

A sheep has been pulled to safety following a dramatic rescue mission after plunging down into a Scots gorge.

Mountain rescue teams were called in to assist after the animal got into difficultly in Balquhidder, around 10 miles north-west of Callander in Perthshire, on Friday, February 11. A local farmer heard the sheep in distress calling out for help before the Killin Mountain Rescue Team arrived at the scene.

Dramatic pictures showed the rescuers at the scene as they executed a well planned rescue mission. With the water from the river flowing fast, one of the team was lowered down on a rope to the sheep, that was stranded on a boulder.

The man grabbed the animal and strapped it in before the pair were lifted to safety. The sheep was miraculously unharmed – and unfazed – by the whole incident and the rescue team hailed the quick thinking farmer for calling for their assistance.

In a post on Facebook, a spokesperson for the Killin Mountain Rescue Team said: “On Friday, the team attended their seventh callout of the year so far. We were made aware of a casualty who had sheepishly gotten themselves into difficulty in a gorge in Balquhidder.

“The local farmer had heard the casualty in distress and called us for assistance in retrieving them back to safety. We are unsure exactly how the casualty came to be in this location, perhaps it was a navigational error, but they were certainly not prepared for the weather conditions in just a wooly jumper!

 

“Joking aside, we were more than happy to assist the farmer in retrieving the sheep as it prevented the sheep from being washed away in the burn, and equally, our intervention prevented the farmer or members of the public from risking their own safety trying to retrieve it.

“We can report that the sheep was safely recovered and didn’t appear particularly bothered by its adventure!”