POLICE and fire crews were called to a farm at Roseland between Liskeard and Trerulefoot on Wednesday afternoon to rescue straying foxhounds which had plunged over a cliff. Police officers and firefighters from Bodmin and Liskeard were joined by Caradon District Council's animal welfare team as the rescue mission got under way. A police spokesman said yesterday that the incident began when hounds from the East Cornwall Hunt strayed on to private land and attacked a pet goat, which later had to be put down. At the same time one of the hounds plunged 100 feet to its death over the edge of a quarry face and another became trapped after it also fell. Checkie Taylor, senior animal welfare officer with Caradon, said the operation to rescue the injured dog had been a complex one carried out by the fire crews in difficult conditions. Initially, she said, four or five dogs had gone over the cliff but most had managed to make their way back up. One had died in the fall but the other had become trapped on a narrow ledge from which it was unable to escape. She and colleague Jon Lane had tried to climb up to it but were defeated by the conditions. Fire crews from Liskeard and Bodmin were brought in and used their ladders to reach the ledge. They were eventually able to attach a harness to the hound which was then carried down the ladder by one of the firefighters. 'It must have been a terrifying experience for the dog which was stuck on the ledge for about an hour-and-a-half,' said Checkie, who praised the efforts of all those involved in the operation. Inquiries into the incident were continuing at the time of going to press and no-one from the hunt was available to comment.