Warning after woman gets 'stuck' trying to save sheep and has to be rescued herself
People are being urged to avoid putting themselves in unnecessary danger to rescue animals after a woman got "stuck" in a quarry while trying to save a sheep.
The RSPCA said the woman and her partner had gone to a disused quarry at Ilston, Gower after seeing a Facebook post about a ewe which had become stranded on a narrow ledge.
The woman climbed about 12ft up to try to reach the animal but then "panicked" when she realised how high she was, and attempts by her partner to persuade her down were unsuccessful.
Fortunately - and by sheer coincidence - RSPCA officer Andrew Harris had also gone to the quarry to look for the sheep after the charity had been alerted to its plight, where he found the woman.
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Andrew, along with the woman's partner, managed to coax her down before calling the fire service for assistance with the stranded sheep.
Specially trained officers arrived and abseiled about 50ft down the quarry to reach the sheep, who was persuaded to leave the ledge before running off uninjured to rejoin her flock in nearby woodland.
Andrew said: “Apparently the lady had read about the sheep on social media and had gone to see what she could do; unfortunately she ended up climbing higher than perhaps she had anticipated and then panicked and was too nervous to come back down.
"However tempting it may seem, we would never encourage a member of the public to put themselves at risk to rescue an animal in a precarious situation like this.
“Wild animals can be unpredictable when they are trapped and stressed and we would urge people to call the RSPCA or the emergency services so that officers with specialist safety equipment and training can respond to free them safely.
“It must have been an unpleasant experience for her, as well as the ewe, but I’m glad we were able to get both of them down safely.”