If you saw a creature struggling in the wild, wouldn’t you want to do everything you could to help? Muzammil Patel and his friends were enjoying a little bit of fun by the water at the Apollo Bay campsite they were staying at in Victoria, Australia. That’s where they would notice something that wasn’t quite right.
A tree had fallen into the water, and there appeared to be an animal struggling in the chaos of the branches and leaves. After realizing that the creature was drowning under the weight of the shrubbery, the boys launched into action to rescue the poor thing.
First, they moved the branches from weighing down the creature, and that’s when they discovered that they were dealing with a drowning koala bear. Although koala bears can swim certain distances, this little guy probably would not have been able to make it without the help of these friends.
They tried to extend the branch to the little guy to see if he would climb in. One of the men even went out to pick the koala up, but his friends warned him not to touch the animal because the koala bear could scratch him.
Although koala bears can swim, unless there is an easy way for them to get back out of the water they can drown. They often drown in swimming pools when trying to get a drink of water. This little guy was close to death, most likely due to the weight of the branches that had been keeping him in place.
The boys continued to encourage their furry friend to keep paddling back to shore. One of them even made splashes in the water to help guide him to land.
Eventually, one of the boys gripped the back of the koala and helped tow him to land. They stayed with the critter for a little while to make sure that he wasn’t going to head back towards the water.