Dog rescued from Palmiet Nature Reserve
The dog was taken to the Kloof and Highway SPCA and is up for adoption.
A QUIET 10-month anniversary dinner turned into an adventure for Nick Evans of KwaZulu-Natal Amphibian and Reptile Conservation and his fiancée, Joelle Hoareau, after they received a message via the Palmiet Rangers WhatsApp group about a dog suspected to be stuck on a section of a cliff in the Palmier Nature Reserve.
“We were supposed to spend our 10-month anniversary with a quiet night in, but instead joined a group of dedicated people on a rescue mission for a dog stranded on a cliff in the Palmiet Valley. It was making its presence known as it was frantically barking. When we got the message, we sped off to help,” said Evans.
When they arrived they could hear it, so Evans and Craig Ungerer made their way up the steep and tricky-to-climb cliff. They used tree roots and branches to get up, but loose soil made it a risky climb. When they were halfway up, the dog suddenly went quiet. Eventually they made it to the top, with no dog in sight.
“Feeling a bit disappointed, we then realised we were stranded. We didn’t feel like making the dangerous climb down, and we struggled to get out of the reserve as we were fenced in by properties. We finally managed to find a house without a fence. We shone torches on ourselves and shouted, to make ourselves visible and heard, so we wouldn’t get shot.”
They managed to get out via a property and were collected by fellow rescuers on Jan Hofmeyr Road. While they were driving back to the house on Stanley Teale Road where they had started the search, the dog ran across the road from the reserve.
“It was pretty much on the other side, opposite to where we heard it barking. It looked terrified. I ran after it and we managed to corner it. It showed no sign of aggression, it was too exhausted. I picked her up gently, she was sopping wet from making her way across the river. What a great feeling it was for all involved,” explained Evans.
The dog was taken to the Kloof and Highway SPCA the next day. She has been named Lilly by the SPCA staff and is up for adoption.
