[ad_1]
A woman from Adelaide, South Australia, got herself an early Christmas present this year.
Amanda McCormick came home on Wednesday (December 2) to see an adorable koala hanging from the Christmas tree in her living room, chewing on some (plastic) leaves.
“Hello honey, what are you doing in the tree?” he asked the marsupial while filming the unusual scene.
So how did the marsupial get in?
According to McCormick, he had left the back door open for his dog and the cheeky koala took the opportunity to sneak into his house.
Amused by the surprise visitor, McCormick posted video clips of the encounter and her Facebook posts went viral shortly after.
As cute as the koala clinging to the Christmas tree looked, the woman knew it didn’t belong there and called the local koala rescue group 1300Koalaz for help.
His hotline operator couldn’t believe what he heard at first, thinking he had received a prank call, 1300Koalaz said in a Facebook post.
“But no, a koala desperate to get into the Christmas spirit walked into Amanda McCormick’s house and decided she wanted to be the Christmas tree fairy.”
https://www.facebook.com/1300Koalaz/posts/714469192808655
It is not something you see every day
Co-founder of the rescue group, Dee Hearne-Hellon, told CNN that such incidents occur once on a blue moon.
“The koala was a healthy juvenile female and was released from the front of the house, which is in a really beautiful area for koalas if they have to live among us,” Hearne-Hellon said. “The koala was still in the same tree it chose to climb when I saw it today (December 3).”
While koalas are adorable animals, he reminded the public to leave them alone as they “can become aggressive” as they have “very long claws and very sharp teeth.”
This could be seen in the clip of the rescue. When the rescue team tried to push the marsupial away from the tree, it let out a deep growl and refused to release it.
“They are much cuter than they appear,” McCormick said in his video. These creatures may seem small, but they are definitely deadly.
https://www.facebook.com/750148985/videos/10160772803533986/
Caring for koalas
Koalas are Australia’s little favorites, yet the population has been declining over the years.
Forest fires, disease, and the loss of their natural habitats are just some of the factors that contribute to their population decline.
According to a study published in the academic journal PLOS ONE, the number of sick koalas has steadily increased over the past 30 years, while the number of sick koalas that were supposed to return to the wild has decreased.
1300 Koalaz has been rescuing, rehabilitating and returning koalas to the wild since last August in South Australia. Their goal is to ensure that koalas that have lost their homes to forest fires and deforestation are cared for.
McCormick was also concerned for the koala’s well-being, with the rescue team heard saying, “I don’t care if you destroy the tree as long as it’s okay.”
She also seemed to have a soft spot for the koala, cooing to the marsupial while affectionately calling her Daphne.
McCormick’s most “exciting” Wednesday night gives us some hope that perhaps the end of this difficult year will turn out to be okay.
