Remarkable survival of dog feared to have died after running off Donegal cliff two weeks ago (2024)

A dog who was thought to have died after running off a Donegal cliff has been found alive more than two weeks after she disappeared.

Mali, a Bernese mountain dog, had run away from her German owners near the lighthouse on Arranmore Island on August 16 last, sparking a huge search by islanders which lasted for days.

The fear was that Mali, who will turn two at the end of October, had run straight off the imposing cliffs near the lighthouse. But in what has been described as a miracle rescue, she was spotted halfway down the cliffs on Saturday night by a group out fishing.

Dramatic video shows shows the dog being taken back to safety after a local man was dropped down to the ledge.

Remarkably, Mali was found standing on a narrow ledge halfway down the cliff face, having apparently survived by drinking rain water.

Mali’s owner, Sarah Recinos Ralda, who livers in Trier in Germany, said her dog’s discovery and rescue after more than two weeks was ‘mind-boggling’.

‘We are overwhelmed,’ Sarah said. ‘We are stunned. I had already kind of let her go. I just thought that if she had gone over the cliff, if she was dead, I hoped that it had been quick and that she hadn’t suffered.’

Sarah, who has been spending the summer in Ireland with her husband and their two children, said the period following Mali’s disappearance had been ‘emotional’ and ‘pretty heavy’.

In regular messages to the community on Facebook as the search continued, she outlined the different efforts to locate Mali and by August 22 had concluded that three scenarios were likely: lost on the island, which she described as ‘very unlikely’; that Mali had fallen into the sea; or that she was stuck on a ledge, adding, ‘not all cliff was searched so maybe there’s a chance. No barking was ever heard but with that weather … who knows’.

On Saturday night (August 31) she initially cancelled the call to tell her Mali had been found as she was in a noisy pub in nearby Kincasslagh, before going outside the take the call. She described the situation as ‘mind- boggling’.

On Facebook she later wrote: ‘She’s been found and saved from below the lighthouse by a group of amazing people. She’s not dehydrated, pretty alert, has lost a little bit of weight and overall just acts veeerryyy hungry. We still can’t believe it and are overwhelmed.’

The man who alerted the authorities to Mali on the cliff was John Paul Baska, who also shot the footage of the dramatic rescue.

John Paul, who owns North West Charters, based in nearby Burtonport, spotted the dog while out fishing near the lighthouse on Arranmore on Saturday evening and then following the rescue, reunited Mali with its owner on the pier at the other side of the island.

‘I was out fishing, we were out past the lighthouse and one of the lads [on the boat] said “I think I can hear a dog barking”,’ John Paul said. ‘I thought he was joking.’

John Paul had already taken part in the extensive search effort for Mali in the days after the dog’s disappearance. On finally spotting her on the cliff face he called Glenn Head Coast Guard station, who then contacted the lifeboat. John Paul then directed the crew to the area and filmed the rescue.

He said Mali was first spotted at around 7.30pm and the rescue took place just 20 minutes later. He then made himself available to carry Mali around the island to the pier, where Mali was reunited with Sarah at around 9.15pm on Saturday.

John Paul said Mali’s lead had been trapped on the cliff face, which may have prevented her from climbing to safety but which may also have prevented her from falling further. The narrow ledge did have an area of cover and both John Paul and Sarah said they thought pools of rain water on the ledge meant the dog was able to stave off dehydration.

Asked if there were tears when the dog was reunited with her owner John Paul said: ‘There was, and there was a lot of locals down as well to see the dog.’

As for Mali, he said she was in ‘great form’.

Sarah and her family are due to return home in two weeks and she said Mali was ‘fine’ despite her ordeal, with no fever and a hearty appetite that they were now trying to properly manage after her going so long without food.

Sarah said the past few days were the first days of fine weather in the area for weeks and that this likely increased the chances of Mali finally being spotted.

‘She was so happy to be rescued,’ Sarah said.

Written by Noel Baker