A wallaby paddling away from Victoria's southwest coast found an unexpected rescuer in a visiting boater who kept trying to help even after the animal jumped out of his dinghy.
Wildlife carers were waiting when South Australian Matt Smith finally got the exhausted wallaby back to shore.
Here's what to know
The wallaby was losing strength when Smith spotted it over 100 meters offshore near the marina, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corp.
"I'm on a visiting yacht, and I was tidying up out back, and I could hear these seagulls squawking at something near the end of the marina here," Smith said.
The wallaby jumped back into the water after he brought it aboard his dinghy. He had rowed out to reach it.
More background
Wallabies and kangaroos sometimes are chased into the water by dogs or dingoes, though swimming is common for both animals, the ABC reported.
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A 2020 rescue involved a wallaby 6.2 kilometers off Queensland's North Stradbroke Island.
A similar incident involving a kangaroo in Port Lincoln came to mind for Smith, who knew that wallabies sometimes enter water to escape predators, per the ABC.
What can be done?
The wallaby was resting with wildlife carers after its ordeal. The handover took place at the marina after Smith brought it ashore.
He asked beachgoers to keep their dogs on leashes since he had "done enough rowing for one day," according to the ABC.
His request gave people visiting the beach a way to take local action.
"I don't think it would've lasted much longer if it started heading out [to sea]," he told the ABC.
Where can I learn more?
Other marsupials got a helping hand in these stories.
• In South Australia, a dive crew pulled a kangaroo aboard after the animal swam offshore.
• At Australia Zoo, an orphaned wallaby joey recovered from grazes and tummy troubles.
• Rescuers spent hours guiding a kangaroo out after it became trapped inside a parking garage.
• A volunteer made a one-handed catch to save a falling ringtail possum joey.
• A seemingly dead possum opened its eyes as a rescuer reached toward it.
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