Koala 'hanging on very, very tight' to axle goes on 16km ride through Adelaide Hills
A koala went on a terrifying 16-kilometre ride while clinging “very, very tight” to the axle of a four-wheel drive in Adelaide.
Last weekend the female marsupial found herself hugging the wheel well on a long and winding road through the Adelaide Hills.
Upon realising something was amiss, the driver called Fauna Rescue of South Australia's Koala, a 24-hour hotline in a desperate bid for help.
That’s when Jane Brister stepped in.
“I could also smell burning fur,” Ms Brister told 7 News Online upon arriving on scene.
“I soon realised her predicament. I could only see the top of her head and a paw."
Ms Brister is a long serving wildlife rescue officer with Fauna Rescue of South Australia's Koala and is a koala specialist.
The swift acting wildlife officer climbed under the car equipped with a head torch.
“We weren’t sure if she was pinned at first,” she said.
After removing the car’s wheel they realised the koala wasn’t stuck, just terrified and clinging on for dear life.
“She was hanging on very, very tight,” she continued.
Ms Brister said the terrifying trip would have been “horrendous”.
Once she released her grip Ms Brister said she had superficial wounds however was covered in oil and grease.
That’s when Ms Brister realised that the koala – a mother – was missing her joey because “She was lactating”.
“But unfortunately we weren’t able to find the baby joey.”
“The female was in shock for 48-hours that followed, anxious and hyper vigilant,” Ms Brister recalled once she had taken the koala home.
After several days recovery Ms Brister was able to release the koala back into the wild close to where her original journey began.
Sadly the joey had not been recovered.
