When police came across a group of Canberrans interfering with a storm water drain along busy Isabella Drive, little did they know the prickly situation that awaited them.

The group were volunteer wildlife rescuers attempting to rescue an echidna stuck inside the stormwater drain. 

ACT Policing officers slowed down traffic and helped the rescuers to remove the echidna from the storm water drain. 

A police Senior Constable manipulated the meddling monotreme out of the drain, and released it into a nearby greenbelt area, a safe distance from the roadway. 

Inspector Rod Anderson, Officer in Charge of Tuggeranong Station, said he was incredibly proud of his officers for stepping up for the community and showing them that police are always here to help. 

“A lot of the time people think we are here just to fight crime, but policing is so much more than that.

“We are also part of this community and sometimes the prickly situations we face don’t always involve people.

“ACT Policing is here to protect and preserve life, property, and the environment (spiky or not).”