Koala survives ride with head in car grille

A koala has had an extraordinary escape after being hit by a car at 100km/h then being taken for a 12km ride with its head stuck in the car grille.

The male koala has now been dubbed Ely "Lucky" Grills after a former Australian television actor.

The koala was hit by car north of Brisbane. However, the driver did not know she had hit it until she stopped 12 kilometres later at a train station.

The driver made an urgent call to the nearby Caboolture Koala Care and Rescue group.

Initially they thought Lucky had been decapitated in the impact.

A rescuer used scissors to cut around the grille mesh and free Lucky who seems to have sustained no major injuries.

Press reports from Australia say that Lucky was eating after two hours in the group's intensive care unit and is now being looked after.

He will be released into the wild next month.

- Various agencies