Playful border collie rescued from Herold’s Bay cliffs

A 15-month-old border collie named Lulu is safe and recovering after falling from a cliff on the trail between Herold’s Bay and Voëlklip in the Western Cape.

The incident happened at around 18:40 on Tuesday, and a swift rescue effort by the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) Wilderness and local NSRI lifeguards was activated.

According to Garth Dominy, NSRI Wilderness duty controller, they were alerted by a local woman reporting her brother on the trail.

She said Lulu had fallen about 50m to 70m down the cliff to the edge of the water, on the shoreline rocks, and they couldn’t reach her.

The NSRI launched its JetRib rescue craft, Vee’s Rescuer, while NSRI Wilderness crew members and Herold’s Bay NSRI lifeguards responded on land with headlamps and spotlights. “It was initially suspected that the dog may be in the water,” said Dominy.

Upon arrival, NSRI Wilderness crewman Hannes Snyman, alongside three Herold’s Bay NSRI lifeguards – brothers Alex, Michael and Aiden Meyer – and their friend Reuben van der Berg, located Lulu stranded on the rocks below. They determined that the dog had fallen while playing with some birds.

Navigating steep and treacherous terrain, the lifeguards and Van der Berg descended to the shoreline, where they found Lulu bruised and shaken but otherwise unharmed. They secured the dog in a towel and carefully climbed back to the trail, racing against fading daylight.

The rescue team successfully reunited Lulu with her grateful owners and accompanied them back to Herold’s Bay.

Lulu’s owner, Kobus Groenewald, said that she appeared to be in good spirits after the ordeal.

She was monitored overnight and examined by a veterinarian the following morning, who confirmed that she was uninjured and in good health.