News of a baby goat stranded on a Hawaiian cliff for several days led a group of rogue rescuers on a mission to save the frightened animal.
Four days had passed after a Waianae resident first noticed a white goat stuck on a steep, thin cliff.
First seen on Monday, the concerned resident searched for rescue teams to get the goat to safety.
Despite the efforts of the Honolulu Fire Department, the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources and the Hawaii Humane Society, the goat remained confined to the towering ledge.
Four days had passed after a Waianae resident first noticed a white goat stuck on a steep, thin cliff.
Despite the efforts of the Honolulu Fire Department, the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources and the Hawaii Humane Society, the goat remained confined to the towering ledge.
As the days passed, the hope of rescuing the animal from the treacherous cliff began to fade.
That was until Ben Hansen, a Kailua resident, was alerted to the goat’s plight via social media.
‘He saw the Hawaii News Now Instagram Post and he says, look, there’s a goat. It seems like it’s stuck,” Hansen’s wife, Govinda Hansen, told the news outlet.
‘So he showed it to me and I’m a fan of baby animals, or animals in general. “Then I thought, ‘We have to go get this goat,'” he said.
Govinda and her husband were not the only ones involved in the rescue mission.
Several Instagram users responded to the post, including two men who would eventually join the Hansen couple in their quest to save the animal.
Govinda Hansen and her husband Ben were not the only ones involved in the rescue mission. Caleb Morrison, another avid hiker, later connected with the couple and explained that he had climbing equipment that could help them reach the goat in trouble. Pictured: Govinda explains in an Instagram post how he connected with Morrison while they were climbing the cliff.
“The goat started to panic as we got closer, so we just stayed back, moving slowly and using, like, a team strategy to corral the goat,” Morrison said. Pictured: Rescuers successfully cornered the trapped animal and brought it to safety.
After a few minutes of waiting and baiting, the baby animal ventured within reach of Ben Hansen (pictured), who took the opportunity and “just hugged the little guy like a bear all the way down the mountain.”
“Swarm of people emailed me,” Caleb Morrison said, “like, ‘Go save this goat, Caleb!'”
Morrison then connected with the Hansens and explained that he had climbing equipment that could help them reach the goat in trouble.
Capturing the entire hours-long ordeal on video via drone and cell phone, the team of strangers gathered at the Waianae Coast Comprehensive Center before setting out on their climb.
Morrison, who was trailing Ben on the climb, said: “The goat started to panic as we got closer, so we stayed back, moving forward slowly and using a team strategy to corral the goat.” .’
Before the group’s steep climb, the self-proclaimed “avid hikers” weren’t sure “how big the cliff was.”
“I was very relieved to have rescued him safely,” Govinda said. ‘We call him Bala. Bullet means target. It’s lovely.’ In the photo: Rescuers with the goat.
The goat was so hungry that he immediately drank a whole bottle of milk.
“He’s happy,” said Govinda (pictured). “We put him on the grass and he froze there. He seems to be doing well’
“We weren’t exactly sure how big the cliff was,” Morrison said, “and we wanted to get there as quickly as possible, simply because it had already been there for four days.”
When they finally got close, the goat seemed to be “super skittish,” Morrison said.
As they approached the goat, Ben baited the animal with an apple, hoping it would jump into his open arms.
“I was down the cliff underneath the goat, waiting to see if it would jump,” Ben said.
After a few minutes of waiting and badgering, the baby animal ventured within reach of Ben, who took the opportunity and “just hugged the little guy like a bear all the way down the mountain.”
Bala the goat is now at Aloha Animal Sanctuary
Morrison said it took 45 minutes to get the goat down.
“I was very relieved to have rescued him safely,” Govinda said.
‘We call him Bala. Bullet means white. It’s lovely.’
The goat is now at Aloha Animal Sanctuary.
Bala was so hungry that he immediately drank an entire bottle of milk before happily strolling around the lush grass of the sanctuary.
“He’s happy,” Govinda said. “We put him on the grass and he froze there. He seems to be doing well.