Close Call For Stranded Koala Who Was Rescued By Uni Students
'He did seem very happy to see us'
Image: Kirra Coventry/Facebook
A group of university students have used a canoe to rescue a koala that was stranded on a tree in the middle of Victoria's Murray River.
Kirra Coventry was among La Trobe University outdoor and environmental education students, and filmed the rescue operation on Sunday – which involved coaxing the koala into a canoe.
"It almost looked as though he was sussing out if he could jump into the canoe," Ms Coventry told The Age.
"So, we decided to have a closer look at him and to our surprise when we took the canoe closer he jumped right in."
And while the operation only took about five minutes or so, the students reckon the thirsty marsupial may have been stuck for days near Ulupna Island, which is about 60 kilometres west of Yarrawonga.
"He was drinking a lot [of water], we think he'd been up there for a couple of days," Ms Coventry said.
"He didn't seem distressed at the time but he did seem very happy to see us... he just jumped into the front seat and cruised back to the bank."
You can check out a video of the operation below: