Dog: ‘Let’s be besties.’ Tahr: ‘I live on a cliff, friend.’ Dog, 80 metres later: ‘Ah.’ Wilderness Search and Rescue volunteers save the day!
Cape Town, South Africa (19 October 2026) – An afternoon run along Table Mountain’s Pipe Track was going nicely for a Mother City pup and his owner. Until said pup found a new friend and gave chase…
“The dog and his owner were enjoying an afternoon run when the pup spotted a tahr (a mountain goat) and decided that a chase was simply too good an opportunity to pass up.” Wilderness Search and Rescue Western Cape shared. “Unfortunately, the tahr had a distinct home-ground advantage.”
If you’re wondering what on earth a Himalayan goat is doing on Table Mountain…there’s a story behind it! A grand 1930s prison break saw a daring pair escape the Groote Schuur Zoo. Now almost 100 years later, their descendants are living their best lives on the mountain. There are no natural predators around, so they’ve well and truly made room for themselves ‘at the table…’
Back to the story…
Hot on the mountain goat’s heels, the dog took off downhill in pursuit, tumbling down the slope as he went. The tahr, of course, did not tumble.
“The agile mountain resident disappeared down the steep mountainside, with the determined hound in hot pursuit. Almost 80 metres below the trail, the dog eventually realised that his four-legged opponent was considerably better equipped for the terrain, and that the chase was well and truly over.”
When the dog finally stopped to reconsider his choices, the goat was long gone, and he was stuck on a small ledge beneath a cliff.
“There was, however, one small problem. Getting down had been considerably easier than getting back up!” WSAR writes.
His owner scrambled down a short distance after him, but wisely stopped before taking any risks. He called for help instead. A team of incredible volunteers from Wilderness Search And Rescue (WSAR) Western Cape left their cosy Thursday evenings in the dust and swung into action.
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Cape Town's Working Doggos Shine in City's First-Ever K9 Competition“Using a rope system, a rescuer was lowered to the ledge, where the stranded hound was happily secured inside a rope bag and hoisted back up to the trail.”
Just before 11 pm that evening, the entire operation was wrapped up smoothly, with rescuers, the dog, and the owner all safely back on the trail.
“While the tahr presumably continued about its evening entirely unaware of the excitement, we suspect one adventurous hound may think twice before challenging a mountain goat to another downhill race!”
A big thank you to the WSAR volunteers who often give up their time to get hikers and their pets home safely.
When heading up the mountain, remember to keep your dog on a lead or under close control, stick to marked paths, and call for help early if something goes wrong. The WSAR emergency number is: 021 937 0300.
Baby Tahr’s Brave Leap on Table Mountain Has South Africans Holding Their Breath
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