SYDNEY, Thursday 22 July 2010 (AFP) - An injured possum called Kevin brought Sydney's futuristic monorail grinding to a halt Thursday as firefighters tried to rescue him from a city centre tree.

Kevin, named after the country's ousted prime minister Kevin Rudd, ran up a tree next to the monorail after being hit by a car late on Wednesday, prompting a rescue effort which drew about 100 onlookers.

"It's a lot of effort for just a little possum," office worker David Carney told AAP news agency. "The little blighter better survive after all this."

The monorail, which serves parts of downtown Sydney, was closed for about half-an-hour. Vets said the raccoon-like mammal had a fractured pelvis but was likely to survive his ordeal.