The life of a lucky little lamb that fell down a drain has been saved thanks to some good neighbours.
Farmer Fiona Boa has praised the people of Mull after her new neighbour Kevin Gray sprang into action with his digger last week.
She would have been none the wiser about the lamb’s plight had it not been for eagle-eyed local Ann MacCrone, who spotted its head sticking up in the field.
The drama unfolded at Antuim farm in Dervaig.
Fiona said: “Ann is a retired primary school teacher and enjoys walking. She spotted this lamb’s head sticking up in the field and saw that there was a sheep looking upset, so she called me.
“It had fallen down one of these old stone drains. They must have been built hundreds of years ago and sometimes they start to collapse.
“When I went along the lamb had dropped fully down into the drain. It had walked a few feet along under the ground.
Bleating underground
“I could hear him bleating through the ground but it wouldn’t come back to where the original hole was. We got shovels but that was going to be a bit of a task as there was a lot of stone in the ground.”
Fortunately, Kevin and Fiona Gray moved to Dervaig from Invergordon last year, when Mrs Gray took on the job as the island’s physiotherapist.
Kevin is a mechanic and has his own digger handy at home.
The couple had just fired up the barbecue when their neighbour from three miles up the road arrived, hoping he could help.
Kevin didn’t hesitate and sprang into action.
Fiona Boa said: “We had to dig a couple of holes. We didn’t know exactly where it was and didn’t want to hit the lamb, so he took small slices with the digger.
“It was only a couple of feet down. Kevin dug where roughly we thought she was. The next thing we knew she was out safe and well and back with mum, although mum was a bit unsure of her at first because of the shade of bloom she had coated herself in.
“I am very grateful for observant people and good neighbours.
A lot of luck
“If Ann didn’t see it when she did, I would never have known it was there. There was a lot of luck involved.
“Kevin and Fiona are just about three miles along the road. I have landed on my feet, they are really good people. She fixes people and he fixes cars.
“Folk on Mull are quite observant and tend to phone me if they see an animal in trouble. Sometimes it is something and sometimes it is nothing. Occasionally, they fix it themselves. If they see a couped sheep they will right it and don’t need to phone.
“We always appreciate hearing from people if they see anything.”
Are you interested in more exclusive and breaking Highland and Islands news from the P&J? If so, why not join our dedicated Facebook page HERE
Conversation