Man wades into Australian river to rescue drowning koala

APOLLO BAY, Australia, Dec. 5 (UPI) -- A volunteer with Australia's Great Victorian Bike Ride ended up wading into a river to rescue a koala struggling to swim.

A video captured last week shows Muzammil Patel wading into the Barham River near his Apollo Bay campsite after he checked in to the campground and was alerted by a nearby woman that a koala appeared to be drowning.

"There was no other option, I had to jump in and save the koala. It looked like it was going to drown," Patel, a volunteer with the Great Victorian Bike Ride, told 9 News.

The video shows Patel using a tree branch to guide the koala close enough to shore that the rescuer is able to grab the marsupial by the scruff of its neck and drag it to dry land.

Patel posed for a quick picture with the "knackered" koala.

"It felt beautiful. The lady who spotted him was crying after she saw the koala had been saved," Patel said.