The Echidna in my Street

As some of you may remember, I have had numerous encounters with Australian wildlife.

  

• A snake visited my living room - to watch TV with me
• A frog moved in upstairs (also spiders, ants, geckos)
• A giant hare attempted to decimate my garden
• I discovered stained glass window bugs
• I rescued a lizard from my pool
• I chased a goanna around a tree
• And I shepherded a kangaroo out the gate when he became trapped in my fenced garden

Just to mention a few.

But this was the first echidna I have ever seen in the wild. And it was sick.

It waddled along the road verge, looking hot, and bothered, and very vulnerable without any cover.  It should have been hiding somewhere and, judging by its size, possibly still in the care of its mother.

It should have looked perky and interested..

Instead it was tired and frail looking.

It is hard to know what to do when a wild animal needs help, but luckily one of our neighbours is a wildlife carer and I know that because she helped me once before when there was a snake on the road.

It was heading away from the forest and into the garden next door. When this brave lady happened by, she simply picked it up by its tail and dragged it back to the safety of the national park land over the road.

I was very impressed.

The year before when I had a snake slither into my house and take up residence in the TV room, it took five people, a walking stick, and a large plastic recycling bin on wheels to remove it. See that story here.

This brave and kind lady, scooped up the echidna using a cardigan, put it in a box, and drove it to the veterinarians.

Hopefully, the next time I see this echidna it will be healthy and happy and will scuttle off into the bush.