Thu. Nov 21st, 2024
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Emergency crews have undertaken a special rescue operation to save a dog that spent nearly seven hours stuck on a cliff ledge in Queensland’s Glasshouse Mountains.

Cooper the bull mastiff cross had escaped from a nearby property after being spooked by a lightning storm in the early hours of Thursday morning before becoming trapped. 

Queensland Fire and Emergency Services (QFES) were called in to help after the owners reported the pet’s plight at about 7:20am.

Maroochydore station officer Scott Daly said Cooper was found halfway up Mount Ngungun, trapped on a small ledge next to a 25-metre drop.

A rescue worker holds an unhappy dog wearing a harness next to a cliff
Cooper the dog spent more than seven hours stuck on a cliff ledge during a storm(Supplied: QFES)

“It [Cooper] wasn’t in a good state. It was very cold, shivering,” he said.

“I’d say with the wet conditions there last night and the slipperiness of the rocks, it’s fallen down into that little gully, and that’s where it stayed.”

Mr Daly said it was a “weird, freak occurrence” but the emergency crews were well prepared to help.

“We actually do have a specialised piece of equipment, specifically for rescuing dogs,” he said.

“It’s actually a dog harness that can be attached to a line.

dog on a rocky ledge with a forest in the background

Emergency crews undertook a tricky operation to rescue the dog.(Supplied: QFES)

“Mostly it was a matter of trying to climb up the side of the mountain and around to get on top of it and set up some anchor points.”

One crew member was lowered to the ledge, where they attached the dog to the harness and then scaled the cliff to return to the ground.

“Once we got hold of it, it perked up significantly,” Mr Daly said.

Emergency crews scale a cliff in a forest

Emergency crews used a special piece of equipment designed for rescuing dogs.(Supplied: QFES)

“Then, when it got into the arms of the owners down below, it looked fresh as a daisy.”

Mr Daly said the owners were “very thankful” to be reunited with their pet.

“They just couldn’t believe how the dog got stuck like that.”

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