Recently, a pool cleaner in Queensland, Australia, entered a client’s backyard and realized they weren’t alone. Clinging to a tan drainpipe nearby was a wayward koala who needed help.

The pool cleaner contacted WIRES Wildlife Rescue for expert assistance. Soon, WIRES emergency responder Amy Wregg was on the scene. Though the koala looked placid, Wregg knew things weren’t as they seemed.

“While it might look calm in the photo, scientific studies have shown that koalas internalize stress, so there are virtually no external indicators that they are distressed,” Wregg told The Dodo.

Wregg quickly devised a plan.

“I had to carefully reach her using a ladder and then gently maneuver her around so I could safely contain her,” Wregg said. “Being a wild koala, they see humans as potential predators, so you have to be very gentle and quick, as they can bite and scratch to defend themselves.”

Finally, Wregg got the koala into the safety of a carrier. The wildlife expert was happy the koala was safe, though the rescue was a grim reminder of koala habitat loss in the area.

“During koala breeding season, it’s becoming increasingly common to find displaced koalas in suburbia as they lose more and more of their natural habitat to land clearing and development,” Wregg said. “But [this is] the first one I’ve ever found on a drain pipe!”

Snuggled in the cage, the koala happily chewed some leaves en route to the vet. Soon, the koala was given the all clear — she could return home to the wild.

Back among the trees, where she belongs, this koala is surely feeling much more relaxed. With any luck, this fluffy girl will be avoiding backyards and drainpipes from now on.