An Australian man had to be rescued after he got stuck 200ft up a tree while paragliding with his pet chihuahua.

Paul Hansen, 42, became entangled in a giant mountain ash tree shortly after take-off near Melbourne.

He was left dangling, with chihuahua Emma strapped to his chest, for five hours, reports the Melbourne Age.

He had struggled to get a signal on his mobile phone and his radio was useless because of the remote location in the Yarra Ranges national park.

Mr Hansen, who is fighting cancer, admitted he'd been worried and cold but said he'd been more concerned about his beloved Emma.

"She knew that we were in danger, but she didn't panic or anything. She always flies with me. She loves it. I wouldn't take her if she didn't like it," he said.

He finally managed to send text messages to friends, giving his GPS position, and they alerted emergency services.

A police helicopter was called out to sweep the area and the crew made contact with Mr Hansen by radio.

Police search and rescue officers took about an hour to scale the tree before putting Mr Hansen and Emma on a stretcher and lowering them to the ground.

Mr Hansen was treated by paramedics for cuts and taken to hospital for observation before he was released and allowed home.