A heartbroken animal lover is facing the prospect of having to put to sleep more than 20 of her rescued, abused and injured animals unless she is offered new land.
Nichola Mackay (31), of Methilhill, has had a passion for animals since childhood and has looked after both farm animals and domestic pets.
She first began rescuing abused, injured and unwanted animals at the age of 18 and, for the last 13 years, has cared for an ever-growing menagerie.
At the moment this includes six ponies some of which have been abused by previous owners 11 sheep some rescued from the slaughterhouse, others raised from orphaned lambs nine ferrets and two barn owls.
Nichola, who balances caring for the animals and working full-time as an administrator at Havelock Europa, has enjoyed the rent-free use of a piece of land along from Balcorm Mains, near Lundin Links, for the last 13 years.
But the owner has decided to sell it for personal reasons and Nichola, who spends most of her spare time and salary, feeding and paying for the upkeep of the animals, cannot afford to buy the land.
She is pleading with anyone who is able to help her with an alternative arrangement for homing the animals to contact her.
She told The Courier: “Having the rent-free piece of land has been of great help to me. Sadly, this arrangement is now coming to an end, as the landowner has decided to sell for personal reasons.
“This leaves the animals homeless. I only have in the region of two months to find an alternative piece of land where I can continue to care for them and any other animals that need a safe place.”
Nichola said she understands the landowner’s decision to sell and is not critical of it, asking for the landowner’s identity to be withheld.
She said it had been like a small holding the owner had rescued a lot of animals and she helped and then started to rescue her own.
Anyone who can help Nichola can contact her on 07729 702037 or email nicholamackayn73@o2.co.uk.