'Lucky' koala bear survives head-on car collision

[July 15, 2008]  SYDNEY, Australia (AP) -- They call this koala bear "lucky."

The 3-year-old male koala was struck by a car and carried for seven miles with his head and arm wedged through the vehicle's front grill, but was not badly hurt.

Staff members at the Australian Wildlife Hospital in Queensland state dubbed him Ely "Lucky" Grills, the Australian Broadcasting Corp. reported on Tuesday.

"He was very flat and unresponsive for a couple of hours, but (after) a bit of TLC and some feed and some fluids -- and a bit of pain relief because obviously he would have had a headache -- he was up and eating and doing really well," hospital manager Gail Gipp told ABC.

Hospital officials could not immediately be reached by The Associated Press.

[Associated Press]

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