Man, dog and five camels rescued by police after they fell down a steep slope during a walk in the bush
- A man, his dog and five pet camels have been rescued after a four hour rescue
- The group were connected by a rope and walking through bushland in Victoria
- One of the camels slipped, dragging the rest down a steep hill with him
- None of the animals, or their 38-year-old owner, were injured during the fall
A man, his dog and five pet camels have been rescued after a tense four hour rescue operation.
The group were connected by a rope and walking through bushland in Jamieson, 200km northeast of Melbourne near Victoria's Great Dividing Range on Sunday.
One of the camels lost his footing and slipped from the track into the steep and rugged terrain below, dragging the rest of the pack down with him.
The group were connected by a rope and walking through bushland in Jamieson, 200km northeast of Melbourne near Victoria's Great Dividing Range on Sunday
The 38-year-old owner of the animals was wearing an emergency radio beacon and activated it after the fall.
A signal was sent to an organisation in the United States, which forwarded it onto Canberra and eventually Victorian authorities, which sent a helicopter to investigate.
Country Fire Authority district commander Paul Horton told BBC the 'chap was out with his camels... One fell, dragged some others, and that's led to the whole ship going down.'
He said police were expecting a simple rescue operation - if any - involving one person, and were shocked when they made the discovery.
One of the camels lost his footing and slipped from the track into the steep and rugged terrain below, dragging the rest of the pack down with him (stock image)
The 38-year-old and all his animals escaped serious injury.
The rescue operation took four hours and proved more difficult than anticipated.
Rescuers had to coax the animals to climb back up the steep slope, including one of the camels which suffered a minor injury.
A veterinarian was on site and authorities were prepared to hoist the animal to safety before it eventually scrambled up the reserve itself.
"They were all safely walked back to a safe place to stay last night. Long story short - we're just glad it ended well," Mr Horton said.
Police are currently investigating the circumstances of the incident.
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