Firefighters using a drone rescued a goat that was stranded more than 100 feet up on a cliff edge at the disused Riddlesdown quarry.

Cliff-hanger: one of the herd of goats at Riddlesdown

The usually sure-footed goat, named Gandalf by City Commons rangers, found itself in trouble after becoming separated from its herd and unable to climb to safety.

The small herd of six goats were released at Riddlesdown last autumn as part of a conservation programme run by the City of London’s commons rangers.

One of the goats was killed late last year after it was attacked by an off-lead dog, so keeping Gandalf safe took on extra importance.

Sub Officer Darren Joy, who was at the scene off the Godstone Road in Kenley yesterday morning to conduct the rescue missions, said: “The goat had been spotted the day before but we don’t know how long it had been stuck there.

Steep drop: the 100ft cliff where Gandalf was found stuck

“There was no clear way back up for him and it was steep.

“Firefighters worked quickly to assess the situation and our drone team also attended. The drone actually helped distract Gandalf and allowed crews to put a line over the goat and pull him up to safety.

“Thankfully, he was very well-behaved and came away unhurt.

“Firefighters love animals and we are ready, willing and able to assist distressed or injured animals – the last thing we want is for people to put themselves at risk rescuing an animal themselves.

“But we do encourage people to call the RSPCA in the first instance and we will assist if our specialist equipment is required, as in this case.”

The rescue operation, involving crews from Purley, Wimbledon and Edmonton in north London, took more than three hours.

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