Koala rescued after a pile of five cars on the Australian Highway

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) – A koala was rescued after causing a congestion of five cars while trying to cross a six-lane highway in South Australia.

Police said the accident in busy traffic in the city of Adelaide on Monday sustained injuries, but no one needed an ambulance.

The rescuer of the animal said she got out of her car to investigate what caused the pile. Nadia Tugwell, with her coat in hand, works with a stranger who clings to a blanket in an attempt to catch the marsupial. A concrete road divider blocked the crossing of the koala.

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

Once the koala was in her trunk, Tugwell drove to a gas station to hand over the animal to saviors of wildlife. In the meantime, the koala was able to climb out of the trunk of her SUV’s cabin.

“It decided to come to me, and I said, ‘OK, you stay here. I’ll get out, ” she said.

“It started sitting on the steering wheel for a while: (as if) saying, ‘let’s drive,’ and then I started taking pictures,” she adds.

Tugwell said she learned from previous experience how to calm koalas by covering their eyes. She lives near a eucalyptus forest outside Adelaide and has twice called animal dealers to rescue koalas injured in a fight with other koalas.

“I live in the hills, and if you allow them to do what they want to do and not pursue, it’s right,” Tugwell said.

The leather trim of her luxury vehicle was scratched by the animal, but Tugwell said the happy ending was worth the damage.

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