- Fire crews in Scotland were dispatched to reports of a sheep stranded on a cliff
- Five units were ordered to take 350-mile round trip to try and rescue the animal
- Before they could get there, the Coastguard decided rescue would be too risky
- The sheep was shot dead on the advice of a vet, it is reported
Fire crews in Scotland were sent on a 350-mile round trip to try and save a sheep that had fallen down a cliff, only for the animal to be shot dead before they got there.
Five teams of firemen were sent from Fife and Tayside in Scotland to Nigg Bay, a three hour drive away, after a farmer called to say the animal was stranded.
But as they traveled to the scene, the Coastguard – who were also called – decided a rescue operation would be too risky and shot the animal dead on the advice of a vet.
Five fire crews were dispatched from Fife and Tayside to rescue a single sheep that had become stuck on a cliff near Nigg Bay because local crews did not have rope rescue training
Local fire crews could not be used for the operation because they did not have rope rescue skills, The Sun reports.
Scottish Tory MP Murdo Fraser said more training needs to be given to protect local services from being diverted elsewhere.
He told the paper: ‘Calling out multiple different fire crews and the coast guard to help rescue a single sheep, only for it to be shot, sounds like the plot of a 70s sitcom and not modern day emergency services in Scotland.’
A spokesman for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service said additional training was already underway.
Before crews could arrive the Coastguard, who were also dispatched, had decided it would be too dangerous to rescue the animal and shot it dead on the advice of a vet (file)