Distressing photo of beloved Aussie animal serves as urgent warning to drivers

A shocking post on Facebook has highlighted the danger Koalas face as their habitat is destroyed and they start crossing roads on the hunt to satisfy their basic needs.

“Tuesday night we lost not just one but two local male koalas to car hits,” the post by Save Our Community Warner read on Thursday.

By Friday the death toll had increased to three koalas.

The volunteers at Pine Rivers Koala Care and Moreton Bay Koala Rescue work around the clock answering calls to help injured koalas in the area, and as breeding season begins, the problem is getting worse.

“It is only the beginning of breeding season and already rescuers are being traumatised by what they’re seeing.

“Please slow down on our roads! Please watch for wildlife and if you are unfortunate enough to hit anything, please call one of the local rescue groups,” the post continued.

Karin Mac from South East Queensland spends seven nights a week responding to injured wildlife hit by cars on roads where there are no koala crossing signs to warn motorists to slow down and take care.

“Most car hits tend to be males, they are on their way to find females as it’s just the beginning of breeding season and we are already run off our feet,” Ms Mac told Yahoo News Australia.

“Last week we had Albie, he was very lucky he’s a big male who got hit by a car and then hit again by a second car but he was actually ok and has been released,” Ms Mac said, adding not all koalas are that lucky.

Eight koalas have been hit in the area near Eatons Crossing Road in Moreton Bay recently and of those, seven were males. Only one survived.

One of those koalas that didn’t survive was Colo, he was well known by the rescue group and called the bushland along the stretch of road home.

“We knew this koala. His home range unfortunately included an 80km stretch of road. We knew him and he mattered,” Ms Mac said.

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Ms Mac said when rescue groups arrive, most koalas are still alive and are taken to either the RSPCA or Australia Zoo where they can receive medical treatment.

“It’s the most traumatic thing you can imagine, these poor little creatures are so innocent, they just go across the road looking for a female and the cars come along and wipe them out and the problem is lots of people just don’t stop and they don’t ring the rescue groups,” she said.

Ms Mac and her team are currently petitioning the state government to install koala crossing signs in the region.

“We need to get people aware of them, koalas have no read sense, we want signs up saying there are koalas crossing,” she said.

Until then Ms Mac and the volunteers at Pine Rivers Koala Care and Moreton Bay Koala Rescue will continue to go out each night and rescue injured wildlife.

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