Surfer Saves Drowning Kangaroo In Australia

A kangaroo that would otherwise have drowned was saved on a beach in Australia by a brave local.

Local surfer and general extreme sports fan Neil McCallum spotted an object out to sea that he had never seen before. It wasn’t heading in any clear direction and was being buffeted around in the swell. When he moved a little closer he realised that the struggling animal was a kangaroo, something that very rarely even enters the water. Neil thought quickly and grabbing one of larger surfboards out he went to see if he could help the poor creature.

The roo was pretty exhausted when he reached it. It had been some time in the water and it was having to fight against repetitive beatings from the waves. Niel did make an attempt to hoist the animal up onto his surfboard, but the kangaroo wasn’t very happy with this and jumped back into the sea. A number of people paddling kayaks were also in the area but not close enough to help. Seeing that his method wasn’t working, Neil decided to instead drag the kangaroo back along side his surfboard. Thankfully both arrived back at the beach in one piece, albeit a little shaken up.

Ian is the name that has been given to the little fella, an ironic homage to Ian Thorpe. Experts however still cannot explain what he was doing in the water. “Kangaroos are definitely not known for their swimming abilities” states Harry Kernel of the Queensland Nature Park. He continued to say that kangaroos would only ever enter water to escape a predator or if they knew its depth was lower than their chest, but perhaps this one was a bit simple.

Ian is now back to full strength and has been eating well at an animal shelter close by. He will be released soon but along way from the coast where he can’t get himself into any more trouble. Neil refuses to take any praise for his actions, saying that anyone would have done the same if they had seen a helpless creature in trouble.