Recently, Brisbane, Australia, welcomed its “cutest passenger ever.” A koala named Perry was unexpectedly spotted on a city light pole, but was fortunately discovered in time by a sharp-eyed bus driver who promptly reported it and assisted in the rescue.
The incident occurred on the evening of the 13th, when a bus driver was passing through downtown and saw a koala clinging to an outdoor street light pole. Worried that the koala might slide down and get hit by passing vehicles, the driver covered its head with a jacket, brought it onto the bus, and contacted a koala rescue organization for help.
After receiving the report, the rescue organization arrived quickly, took the koala away, and sent it to a wildlife hospital for a health check. Once its health was confirmed, Perry was successfully released into a forest reserve to return to its natural habitat.
The Brisbane Koala Rescue Organization shared the entire rescue process on social media, and the innocent expression of the koala hugging the bus handrail attracted much public attention.
The Australian Koala Foundation pointed out that because of land development and habitat destruction, about 80% of koala habitats have disappeared, and there may be fewer than 60,000 koalas left in Australia, with actual numbers possibly even lower. The safe rescue of this “cutest passenger” has once again drawn public attention to koala conservation issues.