Rescue teams work for hours to save Pointer from cliff

Sable, die pointer. (Foto: JP Smith/Facebook)

A two-and-a-half-year-old Pointer, Sable, was rescued from the Hillcrest quarry after an hours-long rescue operation on Saturday, after he was trapped on a cliff ledge about 25 m above the ground.

Sable went for a walk with his owner when he was chasing a badger and ended up on the ledge where he couldn’t get back down.

His owner called the fire brigade and rescue services around 20:45, after which several rescue teams were deployed.

Teams from Durbanville fire brigade, technical rescue units and Wilderness Search and Rescue took part in the operation.

According to JP Smith, mayoral committee member for safety and security in Cape Town, rescue teams quickly devised a plan to reach the dog safely.

The rescue teams set up anchor systems with the help of a shipping container about 15 m from the edge. A K9 unit handler then descended the cliff with rescue techniques to get to Sable.

The handler used dried sausage to lure the anxious Sable and was then able to secure him with a specialized harness. After a long and technically challenging operation, Sable was finally lowered safely to the bottom of the cliff at 01:20 with the joint efforts of all the rescue teams.

The rescue operation. (Photo: JP Smith/Facebook)

Smith thanked those involved for their work and said the rescue effort “showed excellent cooperation between different agencies and highlighted the specialized skills and equipment we have for exceptional circumstances like Sable’s”.

Sable survived the night’s adventure and is expected to make a full recovery.