By Shamsiya Hussainpoor
Ferntree Gully resident Jim Woolcock spotted an echidna stuck under the footpath outside a chemist on Station Street on Tuesday afternoon, October 22 – he quickly called for help.
At around 4.20pm, Mr Woolcock was on his way to the shops when he noticed a group of people gathered around the curb, trying to help the spiky creature, the echidna had wedged itself halfway into a gap beneath the footpath and was unable to back out due to its spikes.
Concerned for the animal’s safety, especially with cars passing by, the Ferntree Gully resident called the Knox State Emergency Service (SES) for help, about 15 minutes later, the team of three SES volunteers arrived and equipped to handle the prickly situation.
The team quickly realised they needed to lift a heavy metal lid to access the echidna.
The crew tried using a shovel to slide the echidna out, but that didn’t work, they then grabbed a big broom and gently pushed it against the echidna’s backside to nudge him further into the gap.
The echidna ended up in a concrete box about half a meter deep, one SES member climbed in to help, and after some effort, they managed to wrap the echidna in protective plastic.
Thanks to Knox SES crew and Mr Woolcock, the echidna was finally freed and was safely carried across the road and released into long grass near a nearby waterway.
Mr Woolcock said the animal appeared to be unharmed and was ready to wander off.
The rescue took about 25 minutes in total, with the local resident snapping photos throughout the process.
“I just wanted to make sure it didn’t get run over,” he said.
“I’m an animal lover, and I couldn’t just walk away.”
