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27 March 2026
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Cliffhanger for curious canine ends in happy reunion after carefully coordinated technical rescue, Cape Town
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A late-afternoon adventure at Hillcrest Estate quarry in Durbanville, Cape Town, turned into an unexpected rescue mission on Saturday evening, 21 March 2026, after a young German Shorthaired Pointer, Sable, took his enthusiasm for dassie-chasing a little too far. The adventurous two-and-a-half-year-old had managed to scramble roughly 20 metres up an 80-metre cliff face, only to discover that climbing up is often easier than coming down. When he didn’t return home with his companion, his owner went searching and eventually found him perched on a small ledge, looking decidedly stuck and clearly feeling a bit sorry for himself. Technical teams from Wilderness Search And Rescue (WSAR) were called to join forces with colleagues from City of Cape Town Fire and Rescue Service to assist.
Rescuers established a technical rope system and carefully lowered a K9 Search and Rescue Association of South Africa operator to the stranded pup, followed closely by a Fire and Rescue specialist.
After a short round of diplomatic negotiations, involving the strategic deployment of some premium Woolworths droëwors, the young adventurer was convinced that the rescuers were indeed there to help. Once safely secured in a specialised harness and tethered to his rescuer, the friendly fellow was carefully lowered down the cliff and reunited with his very relieved family.
The incident was concluded shortly before 01h00 on Sunday.
A big thank you to all involved for the excellent teamwork and coordination that ensured this curious canine’s evening adventure ended safely.
Update: We’re happy to share that after his adventure, Sable is now well-rested, spending plenty of quality time with his family and enjoying long hours on his favourite couch. His mom and dad report that he has not been back to the quarry, favouring fetch over dassie-chasing.
Please support us - https://wsar.org.za/support-us/
Wilderness Search And Rescue (WSAR) is a network of government agencies, and civilian volunteer organisations, who partner in search and rescue.
Photos by Naadirah te Water Naude, Nicole Fourie, Marais Schutte and David Nel
Source: Wilderness Search And Rescue (WSAR)
Rescuers established a technical rope system and carefully lowered a K9 Search and Rescue Association of South Africa operator to the stranded pup, followed closely by a Fire and Rescue specialist.
After a short round of diplomatic negotiations, involving the strategic deployment of some premium Woolworths droëwors, the young adventurer was convinced that the rescuers were indeed there to help. Once safely secured in a specialised harness and tethered to his rescuer, the friendly fellow was carefully lowered down the cliff and reunited with his very relieved family.
The incident was concluded shortly before 01h00 on Sunday.
A big thank you to all involved for the excellent teamwork and coordination that ensured this curious canine’s evening adventure ended safely.
Update: We’re happy to share that after his adventure, Sable is now well-rested, spending plenty of quality time with his family and enjoying long hours on his favourite couch. His mom and dad report that he has not been back to the quarry, favouring fetch over dassie-chasing.
Please support us - https://wsar.org.za/support-us/
Wilderness Search And Rescue (WSAR) is a network of government agencies, and civilian volunteer organisations, who partner in search and rescue.
Photos by Naadirah te Water Naude, Nicole Fourie, Marais Schutte and David Nel
Source: Wilderness Search And Rescue (WSAR)
