Local water police launched a daring jetski rescue mission on Wednesday morning (16 October) to save a troubled swimmer in Lake Burley Griffin but their mission was totally undone when the swimmer hopped back into the lake mere seconds after getting back onshore.
Captured on a video posted to Reddit, police officers helped a small eastern-grey kangaroo back to shore near Queen Elizabeth Terrace but with two hops, the kangaroo was back in the lake having a dip.
Thankfully, on the second attempt, the dedicated officers managed to keep the roo out of the water and onto dry land.
ACT Wildlife president Marg Peachey said it wasn’t unheard of for kangaroos to be caught in the water. Earlier this year, a bizarre standoff between a large kangaroo and a dog in a Fadden pond was also caught on camera.
“It happens from time to time but I don’t know why this one was in the water,” she said. “Maybe he was scared by passing tourists and jumped in. They can swim but they get tired very quickly so it was good he was rescued.
“Especially in that part of the lake, its impossible for him to get out due to the wall so he would have been exhausted. The only reason why he would have jumped back in was due to him being scared.”
If any Canberrans sees any other roos going for a dip during the summer months, Ms Peachey’s advice is to immediately call Access Canberra on 13 22 81.
“Call Access Canberra to get the rangers there quick smart and also leave the scene so you don’t scare him,” she said.
Jetski police in Canberra attempt to arrest swimming suspect from canberra