A model has recounted how she was stranded on a cliff at Dappat Se Gat, between the Steenbras River Mouth and Kogel Bay Beach, after she tried to retrieve her handbag, which was stolen by a baboon.
Mariana Keyser got stuck on a ledge late on Monday afternoon, while she was trying to retrieve her bag from the thieving baboon.
Keyser says she was doing a model shoot on the beach when a baboon ran over and made off with her bag.
She decided to try and retrieve her belongings, but soon realised she was in trouble:
“As soon as I saw the baboon had left my bag alone and left, I started climbing up to retrieve it. When I reached my bag, I looked down and only then realised how high up I was. I thought it would be easier to keep going up, but when I reached about 3m to the top, I saw all the moss and made the decision to not go any further. I found some ground to stand on and asked my photographer to please get some help.”
Dedicated teams of volunteers and professionals from Wilderness Search And Rescue (WSAR) were dispatched after the photographer called the emergency number – 021 937 0300.
Once on the scene, a rescuer abseiled down to her.
She was placed into a rescue harness and lowered down the rest of the sea side cliff.
A drone from the Western Cape Government Health and Wellness EMS Drone Unit was also used to monitor the team’s progress down the cliff, while also alerting them to the movements of the remaining baboons.
Keyser says some of the baboon troop took an interest in her sitting on the ledge, waiting to be rescued.
“Two baboons came to sit right next to me; I thought about climbing up again but knew that it would be better to wait. I started singing very calm songs to try and be calm. I only got stressed out when a baby baboon wanted to come to me; it’s the only time the male baboon got a little aggressive. As soon as it was dark, the baby went to sleep, so they calmed down. The baboons sat next to me while I waited for help, the whole time. When help arrived, the baboons moved away. I have never been so happy in my life to see a person and we abseiled down.”
The incident was concluded shortly after 23h00 on Monday night.
Wilderness Search and Rescue has again appealed to everyone to save and share the Emergency Contact Number – 021 937 0300 – to ensure that help can be dispatched speedily when needed.
After her ordeal, Keyser expressed her gratitude to all those who helped rescue her, posting some stunning videos on Facebook showing her sea view from the cliff and the baboons sleeping next to her.
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