Paraglider and chihuahua rescued from tree in Australia

A paraglider who was rescued after spending five hours dangling from a tree in the Yarra Valley says he is embarrassed by the fuss he caused.

Paul Hanson, 42, had his pet chihuahua dog strapped to his chest when he became entangled in branches 35 metres off the ground at Don Valley just after 5pm AEDT yesterday.

He used a mobile phone to call for help and stayed in contact with police on a UHF radio, while a ground crew searched the dense bushland for him. He was pulled to safety about 10:15pm.



Mr Hanson says he feels lucky to have escaped unscathed. "It's pretty embarrassing to see the amount of trouble that's been taken for me," he said. "I'm just so grateful that we've got these sort of people. Imagine if this was in some part of Woop Woop", he said, using Australian slang for remote bushland.

Mr Hanson says his dog coped well during the ordeal. "She goes everywhere with me so she's used to being in some pretty radical situations," he said. "She's a pretty awesome little chihuahua."

He says he may sell some of his paragliding gear and donate the money to the State Emergency Service.