Rare albino echidna 'Mr Spike' gets a second shot at life
A rare albino Echidna has been rescued and re-released back into the wild after being hit by a car, sustaining minor injuries to his spikes.
The unique mammal was placed into WIRES Wildlife Rescue care before being taken to Albion Park Veterinary Hospital in New South Wales for treatment earlier this week.
Albion Park Vet Dr Cindy Jarrett named the special white guy Mr Spike and gave him the all clear to be placed back into bushland after several days of rehabilitation with WIRES volunteers.
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Vet Cindy Jarrett and vet nurse Melanie Puggioni with rare albino echidna 'Mr Spike' before being placed into WIRES care. WIRES'
Mr Spike huddled in his transport enclosure prior to release by WIRES volunteers. WIRES'
A lack of melanin makes the creature albino and particularly rare, with only a handful of the mammals ever sighted in Australia.
The prickly little creatures have been around for about 50 million years but are considered quite mysterious by researchers and scientists, often burrowed into the ground or moving at a hasty speed of 2.3 kilometres per hour.
Exactly where the animal has been released will not be revealed so Mr Spike can go on without disturbances from unwanted spectators.
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