A baby echidna has been plucked from danger at Hobart Airport after wandering perilously close to the active runway.
Senior Operations Officer Bailey spotted the little creature heading towards the tarmac on Wednesday and quickly scooped up the spiky marsupial before releasing it safely into nearby bushland.
“Alright, not a snake this time. Runway in the background here,” he said in a social media video posted by the airport.
“Most people think that wildlife management on an aerodrome would be mainly birds like the cockatoos behind me which a lot of the time it is but sometimes it’s a bit cuter.”
Bailey, who is also a trained snake handler, has developed a reputation as the airport’s go-to wildlife wrangler.
Back in February, Bailey captured and safely relocated a snake discovered on the tarmac.
“This little echidna here he was unfortunately heading towards the runway there behind me so I’ve just picked him up,” he said.
“We’ll take him in the car here get him into some nearby bush where he’ll be nice and safe.”
