Rescuers had to abseil 25-metres down a Swansea cliff edge to save a stranded sheep, with the dramatic rescue caught on camera.
RSPCA officers were alerted after members of the public spotted the sheep, trapped down a cliff in the Pitton area of Rhossili, in the Gower Peninsula.
A rope rescue team attended and abseiled down the cliff to rescue the stranded animal. The rescue was completed on 10 January
The sheep was safely caught, and carefully placed into a bag, before being winched by rope back to safe land. Fortunately, the animal was fine despite the ordeal, and was safely released.
Members of the public reported to RSPCA Cymru that the sheep had been stranded for approximately one-week, highlighting the importance of the rescue.
The operation was led by animal welfare officer Andrew Harris, and involved a six-strong team, including inspectors Rohan Barker, Selina Griffiths, Gemma Cooper, Nic De Celis and Keith Hogben
Mr Harris said: “This was a really important rescue to be involved in, with this sheep clearly in urgent need of our help.
“Rope rescues are always complex – and a thorough risk assessment was required, before we abseiled down this cliff and reached the poor stranded animal.
“The sheep was understandably scared, and we had a tricky job safely getting hold of the animal. However, thanks to a pretty good catch, we were able to safely get hold and bag-up the sheep, before winching the animal back to safe ground.
“Fortunately, despite getting so hopelessly stranded, the sheep was fine and we were able to complete this successful rescue by immediately releasing the animal.”
