A koala was abandoned by a callous driver who ran it over not once but twice in an apparent attempt to kill it, sparking outrage among horrified locals.
Gold Coast resident Brianna Lee spotted the koala with a broken leg “dragging” itself along Tallebudgera Road in Burleigh Heads as she was driving home from work at about 4am on Monday.
“The koala managed to reach a nearby tree and slowly climb up a branch about 20 feet high,” Lee wrote on Facebook.
“It was heartbreaking and scary to see him suffer.”
Sadly, the koala succumbed to its serious injuries hours later.
An Uber driver told Ms Lee that a driver “initially hit the koala and then came back to hit it a second time”.
Ms Lee said it made her “sick to think that someone could hit an animal twice and then move on”.
An off-duty police officer stopped to assist while Ms Lee and the Uber driver called Wildcare Gold Coast.
A Gold Coast resident spotted this koala climbing a tree after being hit twice by a car.
After the Uber driver reported the incident to police, other officers soon arrived and blocked the road.
Rescuers arrived a few hours later and managed to get the koala down from the tree and into a box.
The koala was taken to Currumbin Wildlife Hospital but died hours later from its severe injuries.
“Hospital staff speculated that the second impact caused injuries too severe for the koala to survive, even though it was otherwise healthy and free of chlamydia,” Ms Lee said. The courier mail.
Locals responded to Ms Lee’s post saying they had seen the koala in the area for months.
“What a shame, because I saw this koala in July and August last year on the road and chased it up to this very tree. I also reported the sighting,” said Giorgi Smith.
They also expressed their outrage at the driver’s cruelty.
“What a moron!” Suzanne Williams commented.
Despite the efforts of a local veterinary hospital, the koala died from its injuries just hours after being spotted.
A Currumbin Wildlife Hospital spokesman urged motorists in the area to slow down and be aware of wildlife on the roads.
‘Currumbin Wildlife Hospital has seen 38 koalas admitted in the past 30 days for a variety of reasons including trauma, illness and injury,’ they said.
In response to public concern over the safety of koalas, the Queensland State Government trialled a 3km “Koala Zone” along Tallebudgera Connection Road from Valley Drive to Currumbin Creek Road from July last year to January this year.
The trial involved monitoring vehicle speeds within the Zone and assessing the effectiveness of speed reduction measures.
Currumbin state MP Laura Gerber speculated the marsupial could have been saved if the koala park was still in operation.
“It is devastating to learn that a koala has been killed near Tallebudgera Bridge, in the middle of the koala breeding season,” Gerber told the Courier Mail.
“This reinforces the importance of collision mitigation measures to safeguard our precious koala population.”
“I will continue to advocate for the protection of this endangered species.”