Dog missing for a week rescued from South Australia volcanic crater lake cliff

A dog named Tyson is back with his family after surviving nearly a week stranded on the steep cliffs of a volcanic crater lake in Mount Gambier, South Australia.

After disappearing for six days, the large dog was found stuck on a narrow ledge far below the walking path, prompting a complex rescue effort that ultimately brought him home safely.

Here's what to know

According to ABC News , Tyson was discovered by SA Water crews boating on Blue Lake after Tyson had been missing for six days. His family had been looking for their two dogs, though one of them, Odo, had already been found.

Metropolitan Fire Service station officer Jarrod Petschel told ABC News that Tyson was located about 328 feet below the track that circles the lake.

Petschel explained, "If anyone's been to Blue Lake, it's beautiful, but it's really steep, and quite treacherous terrain," He added that people had been able to hear barking nearby but could not figure out where the dog actually was.

Tyson's owner, Will Camilleri, who had moved to Melbourne but was back in town when the dogs escaped, told the outlet that "To know there's a chance he might be OK was very relieving."

Petschel went on to explain to ABC News that reaching Tyson meant moving through parts of the terrain with about a 30-degree incline, as well as "20 to 30 meter drops of vertical rocky cliff face."

State Emergency Service crews later joined after the first MFS team arrived, turning it into a multi-agency rescue operation. The SES also supplied a drone to help find Tyson and work out a safe way down.

Petschel noted to ABC News that rescuers had to establish both "a lowering system and a hauling system" while remaining in constant radio contact throughout the operation. But reaching Tyson was only part of the challenge. Petschel said firefighter Joel Van Eeten first had to gain the dog's trust.

With Tyson finally secured in a rescue harness, crews then brought the dog and the firefighter back up the cliff face.

Camilleri said Tyson seemed to be in remarkably good shape despite the ordeal. "Obviously he'd lost weight because of the lack of food and water over the past six days," he told ABC News, adding, "He was completely unscathed, no scratches, no blood, nothing at all."

Where can I learn more?

Tyson's rescue shows how tough dogs can be and how hard people will work to bring them home. These stories cover similar pet and wildlife rescues.

• In Glenelg, South Australia, rescuers freed a fox terrier trapped beneath a breakwater for five days.

• In an Australian wildlife reserve, a dog made the discovery of a broad-toothed rat long feared lost.

• In Victoria, detection teams found grassland earless dragons alive after years of being feared extinct.

Across these articles, dogs are at the center of searches, rescues, and rare discoveries.

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