By all accounts, this was an unusual hitchhiker.
Kelli the Koala hopped up into the axle of a parked car in Adelaide, Australia.
But when the car started moving – the driver unaware of the peculiarly placed passenger – Kelli was trapped in the wheel well.
For 16 kilometres.
.@SA_MFS Firefighters had the #koalifications to extricate & rescue #KelliTheKoala from a tight spot. Couldn’t #bear to leave her there 🐨 pic.twitter.com/cORrc1Uc7u
— SA Metropolitan Fire (@SA_MFS) September 15, 2017
But rescuers made quick work of the sticky situation.
she was so brave.
— SA Metropolitan Fire (@SA_MFS) September 18, 2017
Jane Brister from Fauna Rescue told Newstalk about the odd call for help.
“A member of the public called our 24-hour koala hotline – he had driven from his home in the Adelaide Hills 16 kilometres to a destination close to the city. He heard crying or a noise under his car, and when he investigated found the koala up under the front wheel arch.”
Voila: Kelli.
And plucked the wayward koala from the car.
We’re thrilled to see #KelliTheKoala has made it safely back to where she came from. https://t.co/tPF6BAX4XX
— SA Metropolitan Fire (@SA_MFS) September 15, 2017
The folks at Fauna Rescue said the koala was checked by a vet and released on private property.
“The owners of the property have vowed to keep an eye on her,” Brister told Newstalk.
Kelli was a new mother.
Wildlife workers searched, but sadly could not find her joey.
Main photo SA Metropolitan Fire/Twitter
