- A malnourished donkey was rescued after being stranded on an island on the Vaal Dam.
- The donkey reportedly went onto the island when water levels were low, but was unable to get back to mainland when water levels rose.
- The animal has been reunited with its owners.
A malnourished donkey was rescued on Sunday morning after being stranded on an island in the Vaal Dam near to Deneysville - four weeks after it had gone missing.
National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) spokesperson Craig Lambinon said the donkey reportedly went onto the island approximately four weeks ago when water levels were low, but was unable to get back to the mainland when water levels rose.
The rescue operation was carried out by the NSRI Vaal Dam duty crew assisted by local vets, said Lambinon.
"Local vets, from Veliers Veterinary hospital, were activated and on their arrival, we brought the vet to the island and he confirmed that the donkey was stressed and malnourished," said Lambinon.
Lambinon said a specialised stretcher was brought to the scene and the vet darted the donkey to calm it before it was loaded onto the stretcher and then "with care we loaded the donkey onto our NSRI Crock," added Lambinon.
"With NSRI rescue crew on the NSRI Crock to care for the donkey we towed the Crock, using out NSRI rescue craft, to mainland where the donkey was reunited with its family.
"The donkey is being well cared for by its owners who were delighted at the return of their donkey that has been missing for the past four weeks," Lambinon said.