{"id":380930,"date":"2026-01-01T03:07:13","date_gmt":"2026-01-01T03:07:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/380930\/"},"modified":"2026-01-01T03:07:13","modified_gmt":"2026-01-01T03:07:13","slug":"aussie-familys-surprise-discovery-during-backyard-golf-tournament-we-freaked-out","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/380930\/","title":{"rendered":"Aussie family’s surprise discovery during backyard golf tournament: ‘We freaked out’"},"content":{"rendered":"

An Aussie family\u2019s annual mini-golf tournament came to a sudden halt when they discovered course was blocked by a mysterious object. They\u2019d planned to play on Christmas Day, but the weather had been stifling in Kalamunda, east of Perth<\/a>, and so they\u2019d left it set up overnight.<\/p>\n

Family matriarch Dawn Parsons had spent hours designing and building the course, and she\u2019d found an extra-long piece of metal pipe to add to the challenge.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, a wayward wild animal<\/a>, a large rotund quenda<\/a>, also known as a brown bandicoot, had thought it the perfect place to rest for the night.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were on the seventh hole, and we went to put the ball through, and my husband goes, Oh, there’s something in there,\u201d Dawn told Yahoo News.<\/p>\n

\u201cI said, No, I\u2019ve tried it, it\u2019s empty.<\/p>\n

Determined to sort out the problem, he gave the pipe an almighty shake.<\/p>\n

\u201cMum stayed put, but the babies must have fallen out of her pouch, and they came popping out into the lawn,\u201d Dawn said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe totally freaked out, so we popped them back in, and they scuttled back up the pipe to mum.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Looking<\/p>\n

The quenda was stuck deep in the pipe with her legs behind her. Source: Kanyana Wildlife<\/p>\n

The quendas needed help, but the pipe was too long to fit onto the back of the ute.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe was so winched in there, she looked like she was just a tight little ball,\u201d Dawn said.<\/p>\n

Not wanting to disturb them anymore, Dawn’s husband methodically unpicked the rivets holding it together, then drove them to Kanyana Wildlife<\/a>, a centre specialising in helping sick and injured native animals.<\/p>\n

What happened to the quenda and her babies?<\/p>\n

Summer is a particularly busy time<\/a> for Kanyana’s staff, and they were hard at work when the quenda and her joeys arrived.<\/p>\n

Its CEO, Danny Shelton, volunteered to get her out, using cutters to split the pipe down the middle.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think the babies were helping her situation, because they wanted to stay in her pouch,\u201d he told Yahoo, noting that they made her body wider.<\/p>\n

\u201cI worked my way down, just cutting and bending the pipe to free it up, and when I got near, we were able to get her out.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Left:<\/p>\n

Danny methodically cut the quenda free from the pipe. Source: Kanyana Wildlife<\/p>\n

Danny said it\u2019s people like Dawn and her family, who are willing to put their plans on hold to help wildlife, that make his work feel worthwhile.<\/p>\n

After the quenda and her joeys were deemed healthy, and the mini-golf course was packed up, they were returned to the property.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a great outcome, a real Christmas miracle,\u201d Dawn said.<\/p>\n

Love Australia’s weird and wonderful environment? \ud83d\udc0a\ud83e\udd98\ud83d\ude33 Get our new newsletter<\/a> showcasing the week\u2019s best stories.<\/p>\n

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