Life at the moment is far more comfortable for Gerald the echidna than it was a week ago; stuck on a mattress, floating through floodwater in Sydney's west. 9News READ MORE:
helping neighbours in his small aluminium tinny, spotted the small native local wedged in plastic wrapping around a mattress, looking cold and cowering in a protective ball.Gerald the echidna was stuck on a mattress floating through floodwater in Sydney's west a week ago.
"Echidnas can swim, but generally short distances," says Liz Arthur, supervisor for Taronga's Wildlife Hospital."He was becoming quite exhausted I think."But after James scooped him from the mattress, using an old pair of duds to avoid the spike of his quills, and with the assistance of animal rescue group Wires, Gerald would soon be taken for examination at the Wildlife Hospital."Once I placed him into the enclosure, it was sort of like a big sigh of relief.
After rest and an echidna physical, Gerald's injuries would be deemed as minor; a few scratches on the snout, and paws like prunes."He is," says Liz, "he's a very good size. Around four kilos; some echidnas can grow to five, so he's in very good body condition." And big boy is recovering beautifully, so much so that Gerald's now allowed the occasional dig in the hospital garden, with the prognosis looking good for a return home to the bush."Hopefully we'll get him back out there within the next week," says Liz.
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