Kangaroo so stuck in hardened mud council workers have to use an excavator to free it

A kangaroo has been rescued by an excavator after it became stuck in the mud on the Queensland coast.

Council workers from Bundaberg devised a plan to rescue the mud-covered marsupial from the sticky situation. 

In a delicate procedure, the waste and recycling team used heavy-machinery to free the roo on Tuesday. 

Workers carefully dug around the animal to break down the hardened mud keeping it from breaking free.

The video shows the excavator digging close to the terrified animal as it struggles to free itself.

The kangaroo’s body jolts as it attempts to lift its two legs from the deep mud.  

Workers said the Australian native could have been stuck there for days as the mud was well-set around its legs. 

Excavator operator Tony Riley told News Media the animal looked tired and stressed as he began to rescue it. 

‘First of all I started digging a trench next to him and I thought he might turn around and go through it to get away,’ he said. 

The footage shows the helpless roo looking up at the metal claw of the excavator anxiously. 

The footage shows the helpless roo looking up at the metal claw of the excavator anxiously

As it began to dig the animal sunk deeper causing its fore-paws to become lodged in the mudslide.

After of couple more scoops with the excavator, the animal gained enough strength to spring out of the broken-down mud.

‘I started digging the other side of him and the mud slid away and he was able to jump up the bank,’ Mr Riley said. 

Once it was free, the kangaroo leaped up the bank to beside the excavator and thanked its saviour. 

In Mr Riley’s 17 year career as an excavator operator, this is the first kangaroo he has saved.

He said: ‘It feels good to help’.

After of couple more scoops with the excavator, the animal gained enough strength to spring out of the broken-down mud