Koala rescued after pile-up of 5 cars on Australian highway

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) – A koala was rescued after causing a five-car pileup when trying to cross a six-lane highway in southern Australia.

Police said the Monday morning traffic accident in the city of Adelaide caused some injuries, but no one needed an ambulance.

The animal’s rescuer said she got out of the car to investigate what had caused the pileup. Nadia Tugwell, with her coat in hand, joined a stranger holding a blanket in an attempt to capture the marsupial. A concrete partition on the highway had blocked the koala’s passage.

“The koala was not damaged in any way,” said Tugwell. “It was very active, but very calm.”

As soon as the koala was in its trunk, Tugwell drove to a gas station to deliver the animal to wildlife rescuers. In the meantime, the koala was able to climb from the trunk to the cabin of his SUV.

“He decided to come forward towards me, so I said, ‘OK, you stay here. I’m going out, ‘”she said.

“He started to sit a little behind the wheel: (as if) saying: ‘let’s take a ride’, and that’s when I started taking pictures”, he added.

Tugwell said he learned from previous experiences how to calm koalas by covering his eyes. She lives near an eucalyptus forest outside Adelaide and has twice called on animal keepers to rescue injured koalas in fights with other koalas.

“I live in the hills and if you let them do what they want and don’t chase them or anything, they’re fine,” said Tugwell.

The leather trim on his luxury vehicle was scratched by the animal, but Tugwell said the happy ending was worth it.

The koala was later released into a forest – well away from the highway.