You've got to be kidding! Rescuers look on as goat jumps off cliff to safety after three-hour operation

Goat was stuck on ledge for up to five days, inches from a 40ft drop

Villagers had already attempted to rescue the goat using makeshift ropes



Perched on a craggy ledge for five days, Black Rock Billie the village goat seemed to be in serious trouble.

An SOS was sent out by worried residents and a mercy mission involving a nine-strong mountain rescue team and the RSPCA swung into action.

Three hours later, after being lowered 70ft down the steep hillside, a rescuer got within touching distance of the nanny goat… and discovered she was kidding all along.

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A nine-man rescue team was sent to rescue a goat that had been stuck on a ledge for five days without food or water. One of the rescuers lowers himself down the hillside while another looks on

The rescuer wearing a helmet and safety gear gets closer to the helpless goat

Faced with an intruder on her narrow ledge, Black Rock Billie calmly turned around and jumped more than 10ft to the grassy bank below.

It trotted away unscathed, none the worse for its ordeal - as villagers broke out in a round of applause.

Today, footage of the rescue on Cornholme Craggs outside the village of Cornholme, near Todmorden, West Yorkshire, was posted onto YouTube.

Team leader Al Day, who works as a paramedic, said: 'We were contacted by Cornholme residents who were concerned that their community goat, “Black Rock Billie” had been stuck on a narrrow ledge for five days.

'A couple of villagers had already attempted to rescue the goat themselves using makeshift ropes and the police were worried that someone might fall and seriously injure themselves so we agreed to turn out to help.

As the rescuer gets a couple of feet away from the animal it leaps to freedom off the side of the ledge

Touch-down: The goat in mid-air as it approaches the grass beneath it

'The ledge was also crumbling so of course it was a worry that the goat herself which was something of a local celebrity in the village might fall.

'There was quite a crowd of villagers at the scene but we formulated a plan with the RSPCA to lower one of our team members down to the stricken goat to coax it away along the path it had taken to get onto the ledge.

'Our guy got down to the ledge from the opposite side of the path the goat had originally taken and as a result she trotted off the other way to safety.

'Another of the team had been on standby with a harness on the side just in case but he wasn’t needed.



'Billie appears to be none the worse for her ordeal, much to the relief of her local admirers. It is fair to say she is now safely eating grass and contemplating the days events.

Staggered, the rescuer reaches the bottom of the hillside where the female goat is seen munching away at the grass

The goat was left unscathed after the 10ft jump off the hillside ledge

You've got to be kidding! Goat seems unperturbed by the fact it has just spent five days on a ledge

'It was one of our more unusual rescues. Normally we help walkers who need rescuing from the moors and we helped out during recent flooding. But it is rare we are called upon to rescue animals.

'On this occasion the locals were cheering and clapping us and lady was so grateful she gave the rescue team a substantial donation.'



Local Labour councillor Penny Langham said: 'They took quite a long while up there because they were trying to work out the best way of rescuing the goat without scaring her.

'There are a couple of goats up there all the while and have been ever since I can remember and they seem happy enough.

'But I suppose if there were any real concerns about them getting old and frail then the RSPCA could step in and have a look.'



An onlooker said: 'Black Rock Billie is safe. The goat just needed to be scared off I think. But we should thank the mountain rescue for what they did.'



Villager Leanne Blake said: 'The rescue was absolutely amazing. Everyone cheered for joy. The RSPCA and Search and Rescue teams are worth their weight in gold.'



Calder Valley Search and Rescue Team is manned entirely by volunteers and receives no funding from the government.

