Spiderman (aka Ben Stargatt) to the Rescue
12th January 2026
By Lynn Docchar
We were sent a video of a koala on the rescue phone which showed the koala limping very badly on his hind legs with an obvious gait. It was hard to tell if it was a leg injury or hip injury. The caller said they hadn’t actually seen the koala hit but was trying to move him off the road before another vehicle came along.
On arrival, the koala had climbed a tree using strong front claws. He was in the worst position possible, with every aspect causing danger and creating degrees of difficulty. What could we do? The tree was at least 10m horizontally from the road with a metal barrier along the edge of the road bend, no grass verge to pull up on and the tree itself, surrounded by other trees.
There was a very steep incline from the base of the tree, up to the road and then the base of the tree had a 3m vertical concrete drop into a concrete culvert where the creek flowed under the road. Could it get any worse?
Danger for anyone trying to cover the tree base in case they fall off the concrete edge and with no stable ground footings from the road above, rescuers were unable to use poles to get close enough. Longtime rescuer, Gary, said the fire department were unlikely to attempt anything due to the foliage in the way, plus the fire-truck and stabilising feet would have to close the narrow road, with the vehicle unable to straddle the metal barrier to get any closer.
Owner/Operator of Spider Tower Hire, Ben Stargatt, was able to go where no-one else could. The “Spider” arrived on the back of a truck, which Ben was able to park further down the road. Spider has its own caterpillar treads, like a tank, to allow movement over any terrain. Operated by remote control, the vehicle came off the truck and was able to work its way inside the barrier on what little flat ground there was, and small enough to fit in the limited flat space. Its spider-like legs came out to provide stability, with the capability to set up on hills by adjusting the outrigger legs. Spider's telescopic articulated boom arm can reach heights of around 39m with a sideways reach of 15.5m. Manoeuvring the basket into position with precision, Gary and Ben soon had the koala in the net. Clearly a rescue that would have been impossible without the Spider.
