Tragic end for rescued koala after 'way too common' mistake

A man who helped rescue an injured koala has shared footage of the incident, captivating thousands of concerned animal lovers and prompting a wildlife carer to make a plea to Aussie motorists.

Leah Nelson, rescuer for volunteer animal welfare service 1300 Koalaz, told Yahoo News Australia the 12kg male koala was in the middle of a highway when he was hit by a driver, who stopped to check for damage to their vehicle before driving off.

Ms Nelson said a female shift worker who was travelling behind the hit-and-run driver, pulled over, put on her hazard lights and blocked traffic on the highway just after 11pm on Saturday night.

Ms Nelson said the incident occurred at Eden Hills in Adelaide, calling out the driver who collided with the marsupial. "They knew they hit the koala as they got out of the car and had a good look to see if anything was damaged. They saw the koala in the middle of the road and drove off, which is disgusting," she said.

When a TikToker by the name of Richo pulled over to help the rescue mission, the second driver had already called 1300 Koalaz but had to get to work, so he offered offered to stay with the animal, who he named "Caramello" while waiting for the rescue service.

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In a TikTok that has been viewed over a million times, Richo documented the night's events, which involved moving Caramello off the road and ensuring he didn't try to run off despite his significant injuries.

"So old mate got hit by a car and they drove off," the Adelaide local said in the video. "I pulled him off the side of the road — and you were not happy about that, were you mate?"

While waiting for the rescue team, Richo wrapped the native animal in blankets to keep him warm and restrict his movements. "Poor thing, it makes me want to cry. I hate it," he said.

In the comments, viewers were full of praise for the young man's actions, describing him as a "sweet human", a "legend" and "hero" and "true blue Aussie".

Eventually, animal rescuer Ray turned up and took the animal away to a local vet for X-rays.

Sad end for injured koala

In a follow-up video, Richo updated his followers to say Caramello had to be put down. "Yeah, very sad," he said. "I wish I had better news. It would have been good to have a whole story about him recovering and being released back into the wild and stuff but no, unfortunately."

Richo said he got "a little bit of comfort" knowing Caramello didn't have to suffer, which he undoubtedly would have if he hadn't been picked up.

He said he was "no hero by any stretch of the imagination" and did "what most people would have done". The real hero, Richo said, was the woman who found the koala and called animal rescuers.

Plea to Aussie motorists

Unfortunately, Caramello had a dislocated hip and severely comprised blood trauma and had been bleeding out so had to be euthanised, Ms Nelson confirmed to Yahoo. "There was nothing that could have been done," she said. "This happens way too often, unfortunately."

She said the koala appeared to have been in good health other than his injuries and asked Aussies to be careful on the roads as it's currently "koala season" which means they're moving around more and are at a higher risk of injury.

Ms Nelson urged anyone who finds an injured or deceased koala to call their local animal rescue service, as there could be an orphaned joey who needs medical attention. Contact 1300 Koalaz in South Australia or WIRES in other states and territories.

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