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Heartbreaking images have emerged of a koala appearing to mourn the death of its companion.
South Australia’s Koala Rescue Inc has been told by a “very concerned” member of the public after they stumbled upon two distressed koalas at the base of a tree.
Hartley, the rescuer on duty, traveled to the Coromandel Valley, south-east of Adelaide, to help the couple, but soon discovered that one of the koalas had died.
Images shared on the volunteer group’s Facebook page on Friday showed an adult male koala curled up and hugging the body of a dead female koala.
A rescuer from South Australia’s Koala Rescue Inc found a male koala curled up over the body of a dead female koala at the base of a tree in the Coromandel Valley, southeast of Adelaide.
The heartbreaking video was shared on the volunteer group’s Facebook page, with many social media users saying the footage made them cry.
“(We received) a call from a very concerned member of the public, who reported that a koala had been found on the ground at the foot of a tree,” the caption read.
‘However, there was also a second koala involved. Upon arrival, the rescuer located both a deceased adult female koala and a second adult male koala.
“It is always devastating to attend the rescue of a deceased koala, but it was even more heartbreaking to witness the male koala holding and hugging the deceased koala.”
Koala Rescue Inc explained that rescuers had never witnessed the behavior before and said it provided a rare insight into the true nature of Australian animals.
“It is always devastating to attend the rescue of a deceased koala, but it was even more heartbreaking to witness the male koala holding and hugging the deceased koala.”
“Our rescuers rarely witness this type of behavior, but it confirms the empathetic and caring nature of koalas,” he said.
“This male koala’s reaction to death really represents the truly beautiful nature that koalas are capable of displaying.”
Rescuer Hartley recovered both koalas and, after ensuring the male was in good condition, released him into a nearby area.
Social media users cried after watching the video and called the images “heartbreaking.”
‘This is the saddest video ever seen. I’m crying, my heart is broken,’ one person commented.
“Oh God, I know it’s natural, but OMG the sound of that little heart breaking is one of the worst things I’ve ever heard,” another person wrote.
‘This is absolutely heartbreaking. The little cries of her. Poor little thing. It just goes to show that animals have the same feelings as us,” chimed in a third.
Koalas are in serious decline and are suffering the effects of habitat destruction, attacks by domestic dogs, bushfires and road accidents.
From 2023, the koala population in the wild is estimated to be as high as 63,665, and possibly as low as 38,648, according to the Australian Koala Foundation.
Research by the World Wildlife Fund-Australia found that the koala population declined by 71 per cent following the 2019-2020 bushfires at six locations on the New South Wales north coast.