Tinonee couple Annette and Steve Pullman helped rescue an echidna stuck in flood debris off the Bight Bridge at Wingham on Saturday morning, March 24.
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Annette and Steve were walking the bridge with their morning coffee when they noticed the echidna in debris about half way along downstream.
Only his head was sticking out.
“We thought he was dead, and then we saw him make a tiny move, sticking his tongue out, and we realised he was amazingly alive,” Annette said.
But he was a couple of metres down in the debri and the flood waters were dropping.
Annette called the National Parks, then Wires (who don’t operate in the Manning) and then FAWNA, who said they would send a local volunteer.
This took 30 to 40 minutes and in the meantime, Annette and Steve were worried the echidna would wash away with the debri. By this stage, Karen from the Tinonee General Store and her partner Jim stopped to help.
Steve returned home to get a fishing net and Jim did the same.
Then Dan, the local FAWNA volunteer, turned up and between Jim and Steve and Dan, ‘Muddy’ as he had been named at this stage, was rescued.
Annette said Dan saved the day with a “brave” act by climbing down onto the debri.
“Team effort to save Muddy the echidna. He’s off to the vet now.”
Annette said she hoped to hear of Muddy’s full recovery.