THE crew of Lough Swilly Lifeboat was called on for an unusual emergency launch at the weekend when they had to rescue a “distressed sheep".
The sheep had fallen more than 200ft from a cliff on Inishowen and had to be rescued from a ledge at Leenan Head on Sunday.
Spokesman for Lough Swilly RNLI, Joe Joyce said the alarm was raised when three fishermen spotted the animal on the ledge north of the lifeboat’s home base at Buncrana.
Mr Joyce said: “Once on the scene, the volunteer lifeboat crew were met by the fishermen who pointed to where the distressed sheep was located.
"A kayaker who had also arrived on scene first paddled in close to the cliff in an attempt to encourage the animal back up the hill.
“With this failing to work, the lifeboat crew and the kayaker proceeded to enter the water and make their way towards the sheep where they safely caught her and gently placed her in the kayak before transferring her into the lifeboat.”
The spokesman said the sheep was comforted by the crew and safely brought back to shore.
“The RNLI is often called upon to rescue animals and we are always happy to assist not only to bring them to safety but also to ensure the safety of the pet owners or farmers who may risk their own life in attempting to bring their animal safely back to shore,” Mr Joyce said.
