Dog rescued from Snapper Island, Batemans Bay
A dog washed ashore on an island almost a kilometer off the NSW South Coast has been rescued by a team of volunteers who swung into action after receiving numerous distress calls from worried onlookers.
Urgent calls were made after the dog was spotted by Batemans Bay locals in the waters off Observation Point on Monday afternoon, triggering the deployment of Sea Rescue volunteers from the South Coast town.
A rescue ship and jetski were cruising local waters when volunteers spotted the dog on the oval-shaped one-hectare Snapper Island, four kilometers from the town of Batemans Bay.
Two volunteers on a Sea Rescue jetski arrived at a small cove on the island and coaxed the dog into their hands for almost an hour before retrieving it safely.
The animal was loaded onto the back of the kayak and tethered by one of the rescuers while en route to the main rescue ship off the island.
The dog was loaded onto the mother ship before landing at Sea Rescue’s Batemans Bay base, where it was handed over to council rangers for further care.
The dog, which never appeared after being rescued, has not yet been reunited with its owner. City workers are trying to find the dog’s owner, which includes checking to see if it has been microchipped.
According to NSW Marine Rescue Superintendent Glenn Sullivan, the outcome of the rescue mission could have been very different had it not been for the calm, sunny conditions the volunteer crew experienced on Monday.
“The dog was lucky to reach Snapper Island and equally lucky that sea conditions were exceptionally calm at the time of the incident,” Sullivan said.
“We hope the rangers can reunite the dog with its owner as soon as possible.”
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Daniel Lo Surdo is a breaking news reporter for The Sydney Morning Herald. He previously ran The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age’s national news live blog.Connect via email.
