HAWI, Hawaii (KHON2) — A dramatic rescue of a stranded goat in North Kohala has ended in success.
Volunteers used a two-pronged approach, by land and sea, to finally wrangle the goat from a Hawi cliff. They lifted her to safety and took her to a veterinarian.
After some assessment, it turns out the goat is pregnant. Doctors say she is about three years old and doing well despite being stuck on the cliff for at least a week.
She is expected to be adopted by a local goat company that uses goats for vegetation control.
This comes after a week-long effort to rescue the goat, with rescuers claiming that their efforts to save her may have reached an end.
“You’re basically brand blending vertical work on a cliffside. You’re blending essentially wrangling of livestock, and you’re blending waterman stuff. And, you know, I’m okay to say at this point, we don’t really have what it takes to push this thing to the next level, and we’re not really sure how best to do that,” said Kevin Dorn, Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer of Vertical Worx.
The 120-foot cliffside was a treacherous climb for rescuers, with the top being loose and eroding.
“Once we were on site, once we took time, established all the anchors and got everything set up, started sending guys down the cliff. Basically, once they started getting within 15 to 20 feet of her, she jumped right up and was moving quickly and was very alert. And so it was not what we expected,” said Dorn.
The goat was first spotted on July 7, with many different theories on how she got there, from being chased by predators to simply losing her footing.
KARES is accepting donations to pay for her medical care and food through their “GOAT Fund Me” account on their website.