Koala Brought Back From Brink of Death With Mouth-to-Mouth Resuscitation, CPR

Koala Brought Back From Brink of Death With Mouth-to-Mouth Resuscitation, CPR

Man, it was a rough night for this koala bear.

It got hit by a car. Then fell from a tree. And then had to get CPR.

Emergency crews in Melbourne, Australia, received a call on Thursday night about an injured marsupial. The koala had been hit by a vehicle while crossing a road and then scurried up a tree and passed out.

So that the koala could be treated, a firefighter threw it from an elevated platform in the tall tree to rescuers below, who caught the little guy in a blanket.

The rescue team started to massage the koala's chest to get some movement in the heart and some air into the lungs.

A woman from Wildlife Victoria, who had previous experience reviving a dog, performed mouth-to-mouth resuscitation before the team administered oxygen.

The koala started grunting and growling and ... the rescue was a success.

While it was initially thought the marsupial was Sir Chompsalot, a well-known local koala, he has been named Sean, after the fire brigade captain who assisted in the rescue. He is now recovering in a local shelter.

Amy Amato, a spokeswoman for Wildlife Victoria, explained, "This isn't something we'd do all of the time, but it shows the dedication of volunteers to saving wildlife. Koalas often flee up trees after being hit by cars or bitten by dogs.… Often we get koalas when it's too late, but he seemed to be in fairly good shape."