Three baby rabbits have been rescued after an extraordinary journey that saw them discovered on a drilling rig in the North Sea. The intrepid trio are believed to have initially made their home in an offshore container in Dundee, seeking a warm place to hide.
Their adventure began when the container was transported to Aberdeen, then loaded onto a vessel bound for the Cygnus gas field, 93 miles off the Lincolnshire coast. Upon arrival, the container was transferred to the Valaris Norway rig, where two of the bunnies were spotted running around the pipe deck by the crew.
The rabbits were safely caught and looked after by the crew, who set them up with a warm bed, fresh vegetables and water. They were kept in the radio room before being transported back to Aberdeen by boat. The two rabbits were then taken to New Arc Wildlife Rescue near Ellon in Aberdeenshire.
It was only later that a third rabbit was found hiding in a forklift pocket on the rig. The crew on the FS Aquarius vessel rescued it and ensured it was well cared for before reuniting it with its siblings at the rescue centre.
A spokesperson for New Arc Wildlife Rescue said: 'A huge thank-you to the crews on board Cygnus, Valaris Norway and the FS Aquarius – who all put maximum effort and care into ensuring these rabbits got back safely to dry land. All three rabbits are now doing well at our rescue centre, and eating us out of house and home.'
