A dramatic rescue operation was undertaken in Hermanus last Thursday, as a dog was saved from a near-vertical cliff face at Dreunkrans. The mixed-breed male dog, whose owners remain untraced, was spotted clinging to the rock face some distance below the cliff path.
The alert came from a local woman who heard the animal barking whilst on her walk and raised the alarm to the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI). NSRI Hermanus station commander Edrich Kotze said responders faced challenging terrain to reach the stranded animal.
Rescue Operation
Kotze said: “The dog appeared trapped on a steep incline, on the side of the cliff below the path. On arrival, we had to negotiate steep, barely accessible terrain to reach it.” The rescue operation began on Thursday morning with NSRI crews working in coordination with the Hermanus Animal Welfare Society, which dispatched an animal handler to the scene.
Through careful manoeuvres over the difficult terrain, the teams managed to safely retrieve the dog and move it to secure ground within less than an hour. The dog had shown no signs of injury and was handed over to the animal welfare handler for medical assessment and care.
Aftermath
The Hermanus Animal Welfare Society has since taken the animal into its care and rehabilitation programme while staff attempt to track down its owners. Kotze praised the woman who first spotted the dog for her swift action. “She remained on scene and was instrumental in helping us locate and assist the animal,” he said.
The successful rescue highlights once again the value of public alert and inter-agency cooperation in animal emergencies. For more information on animal welfare, visit the Wikipedia page on animal welfare. The following are some key points to note:
- The importance of public alert in emergency situations
- The role of inter-agency cooperation in rescue operations
- The need for animal owners to take responsibility for their pets
Anyone with information about the dog’s ownership is urged to contact the Hermanus Animal Welfare Society.
