Kangaroo Shakes Hands With His Rescuers After Being Pulled Out Of Freezing Water

A kangaroo rescued from a freezing lake appears to have been so grateful he gave his rescuers a handshake.

David Boyd was walking around Lake Burley Griffin in Canberra, Australia around 5:30am one morning when he spotted the kangaroo standing in the frigid waters. He pulled out his phone to call the authorities for help when some passers-by waded into the water to help save the shivering marsupial. Boyd filmed what the Good Samaritans did.

The kangaroo seemed apprehensive at first, but as the two men get closer to him and reach out to touch him he seems to realize they are there to help him. Soon after, he lets them lift him up and carry him out of the water.

When the two men get to the shoreline they pass the kangaroo up to a third man waiting on the paved sidewalk. That man holds onto the kangaroo’s paws to steady the animal and to block him from bolting back into the frigid waters.

Seconds after he lets go of the animal’s paws, the kangaroo extends his paw out to another one of his rescuers as if to say thanks. Boyd can be heard in the background saying, “Aw, he’s thanking ya” in the video.

The uploader of Boyd’s video noted, “The temperature in Canberra was -1.5 degrees [Celcius, which is 29 degrees Fahrenheit] at the time, according to the Bureau of Meteorology, with an apparent temperature of -6 degrees” which explains why the kangaroo had difficulty getting out of the water and seemed somewhat stunned after being rescued.

Boyd later wrote on social media that the kangaroo was in a bit of shock. It took around half an hour for the kangaroo to perk up and head on his way.

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