Three baby rabbits have been rescued after embarking on an extraordinary journey that saw them discovered on a drilling rig deep in the North Sea.
The intrepid trio are believed to have initially made their home in an offshore container in Dundee, seeking a “nice warm place to hide”.
Their unexpected adventure began when the container was transported to Aberdeen, then loaded onto a vessel bound for the Cygnus gas field, located 93 miles off the Lincolnshire coast.
Upon arrival, the container was transferred to the Valaris Norway rig, part of Ithaca Energy’s Cygnus platform. It was here that two of the bunnies were spotted “running around the pipe deck” by the crew.
Following their rescue, the two rabbits were taken to New Arc Wildlife Rescue near Ellon in Aberdeenshire.
It was only later that a third, equally adventurous, rabbit was found in a forklift pocket – an opening at the base of a container where forklift tines are inserted.
In a statement on social media, the rescue centre said of the animals’ discovery on the rig: “The crew immediately activated rescue mode and safely caught the two bunnies, setting them up with a warm bed and some fresh veggies and water.
“The Valaris crew kept them safe in the radio room before they were transported back down to the vessel to resume their travels by boat back to Aberdeen.”
It was only when the boat – the FS Aquarius – returned to the rig that the third stowaway bunny was discovered.
“After those two bunnies made their journey back across the North Sea and were safely dropped off at New Arc Wildlife Rescue, the FS Aquarius returned to the Cygnus field and later found a third bunny hiding in a forklift pocket,” the wildlife centre added.
“It was rescued and was very well looked after by the crew on the vessel, transported back to Aberdeen and is now safely reunited with its siblings.
“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.”
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