Woman forced to herd echidna away from a busy Guildford road

A curious echidna has been caught trying to cross a busy road in western Sydney, in the middle of a suburban area. Luckily the spiky fella was saved by a passer-by. SEE THE VIDEO

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An echidna has been found wandering the streets of western Sydney. The native monotreme waddled onto the footpath in front of Guildford Leagues Club at about 6am, edging close to Tamplin Rd and oncoming traffic, on January 11.

Luckily for the animal, Lynda McGuire was also walking by, and with some forceful yet polite words she guided the echidna to a safe area.

“I thought, ‘oh my God, is that an echidna or am I seeing things’,” Mrs McGuire said.

“I really could not believe I was seeing it, as it was very early in the morning and I was on my way to work.”

After a few waves of the hand, she managed to send the echidna into the bush.

Mrs McGuire was not the only one to spot an echidna this week.

Cumberland police were called to a shop in the Merrylands area to help move a spiky friend into bushland.

Cumberland police rescued an echidna in the Merrylands area on January 21.

It wasn’t the first bit of unusual animal spotting from Mrs McGuire in the area, she once saw a half-shaved sheep on the run down Dennistoun Ave in Guildford.

“The sheep was running for its life and two men were chasing it. It was looking like it was getting out of there as he didn’t want to be dinner.”

There was also a guest at Parramatta Park during the Symphony under the Stars event.

Their echidna, which they dubbed Eddie, popped by Lachlan’s Restaurant.

The echidna was seen digging into the gravel near a marquee set up for a function near the restaurant at Old Government House.

Eddie the echnida was found near Old Government House at Parramatta Park. Picture: Lachlan's Restaurant

Staff were keen to move the echidna because of concerns that he made be frightened by the foot traffic and noise.

Rosalind Mearns from the National Trust of Australia NSW said staff called the Parramatta Park Trust rangers for advice.

“They came up to the property and had a look at the echidna, who at this point had dug himself quite deep into the gravel,” she said.

At first, rangers tried to lift Eddie out from underneath without frightening him but that “didn’t work very well”.

So some thick gloves were fetched from the maintenance shed and Eddie was gently lifted into a container and moved to a quieter part of the Park.

Parramatta Park and Western Sydney Parklands Trusts park co-ordinator Michael Kalokeri said Eddie was moved back to a “more natural habitat in the Park, where we knew it had come from, so it could pick back up on its scent trail”.

“This is how echidnas find their way from place to place,” he said.

“They rely upon their impressive sense of smell to identify where to find food and avoid predators.”

Mr Kalokeri said echidnas were not normally found in the park, although “a few” have been seen in Western Sydney Parklands.

An echidna was spotted in a similar spot this time last year, and Mr Kalokeri said it was “most likely” that it was Eddie.

“Some echidnas can travel long distances looking for food,” he said.

Anyone who spots Eddie or any other native animals at the park should not approach them and make sure to leave them alone.

“The Park is their home too, so we need to respect that,” Mr Kalokeri said.

“If someone finds an injured animal, or if they need to talk with someone about something they’ve found in Parramatta Park, they should call a Park duty ranger. They can be reached on 0419 122 763.”