Panda: the heroic blue heeler who came to a joey’s rescue

Roo beauty! How a hero Panda stepped in to save a baby joey from the clutches of ravenous eagles.

The baby joey is recovering from its ordeal, thanks to Panda the blue heeler. Images supplied by Jax Brown

A young joey which was snatched up by an eagle has had a miraculous escape with the help of an unlikely hero.

And when Sue Kirwan from Help for Wildlife got the call, she at first thought it was a joke.

“Sometimes we see eagles grabbing young lambs, but joeys are definitely a more rare occurrence,” Ms Kirwan told Leader.

Ms Kirwan said a Coldstream property owner was out riding her horse when she spotted the eagle with the baby joey in its claws.

“The eagle must have been spooked by the horse and flown into a tree. That’s when it dropped the joey,” he said.

Once it was safely out of the eagle’s grip, the joey was then protected by Panda the hero blue heeler who walked straight over and sat with the young kangaroo protecting it from the eagles.

All in a day’s work for Panda the hero blue heeler. Image supplied by Jax Brown

Ms Kirwan said it was impossible for the joey to be reunited with its mum, but that it was in good care.

“The joey is recovering, the carer would have given it a good going over and taken it to the vet,” she said.

Ms Kirwan said the heartwarming story was too good not to share on the Help for Wildlife Facebook page.

“It’s often such a hard job for carers, it can be so depressing and stressful, it’s nice to share a good news story,” she said.

If you find an injured animal or an animal in need of help in the wild, please call Help for Wildlife on 0477 555 611, or visit their website to find your closest wildlife carer.

[e-mail]