Two teenagers are being commended for their quick-thinking after mounting a rescue operation using rope to save a kangaroo stuck in deep mud flats on the outskirts of Sydney.
Jack Donnelly and Nick Heath, both 19, were riding their motorbikes through the bush at Agnes Banks near the Nepean River on Sunday when they spotted the hapless creature stuck up to its neck in mud, growling and grunting in obvious distress.
“I first spotted the roo when Nick and I were riding in the bush and I saw this head sticking out of the mud,” Jack said on TODAY.
Nick said the pair were proud of their heroic efforts.
“The roo’s life was important to us so we went out on an arm and leg and got it,” he said.
“We think he went searching for water there and it was really muddy so he got himself really stuck.
“It’s a pretty patriotic thing to do and we’re proud of what we did. If we saw something like that again, we’ll do it all over again.”
Jack Donnelly and Nick Heath, both 19, were riding their motorbikes when they spotted the roo. (9NEWS) (9news)
The boys decided to give the roo a name, calling him Lucas.
“We just agreed on the name. We liked it; it’s cute,” Nick said.
Nick had to crawl commando-style through the mud flats to reach the unlucky animal. (Supplied) (Supplied)
“Nick tied a rope around his waist and he had to go out commando style,” Ms Reynolds explained.
“And then my grandson pulled him back in with the rope – around 30 metres or so.”
Ms Reynolds said that dry conditions in the area have caused some animals to get desperate and she believed the young kangaroo had gone into the mud flats in an attempt to reach water when it became trapped.
The kangaroo was taken into the care of WIRES, who believe the animal had been trapped for some time and was suffering from dehydration.
“They had it in their bath tub trying to get all the mud off,” Ms Reynolds said.