A bus driver in eastern Australia rescued a koala that had scampered up a pole on a traffic island, putting it in the bus so an animal rescue nonprofit could retrieve it.
On Saturday, the Brisbane driver spotted the little animal weaving through traffic and dodging cars, then climbing to safety up a metal pole.
Concerned that the koala could slip and fall, or otherwise climb down and continue being imperiled by the cars, the driver stopped and retrieved it, local animal rescue nonprofit Koala Rescue Brisbane South said.
Video posted by the nonprofit shows the bus was empty of passengers, but also shows the koala, a male now named Peri, chilling out on a yellow pole inside the bus.
“It’s the first time I’ve dealt with the koala on a bus. … We are really thankful the bus driver cared so deeply for the koala’s safety,” Brianne Barkla, who works for the koala rescue group, told the Australian Broadcasting Corp.
The nonprofit did not provide the name of the driver who helped retrieve Peri.
Koala Rescue Brisbane South’s staffers came out, took the koala into their care, then brought Peri to a Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Australia hospital for a checkup to see if he was injured.
After less than 24 hours, Peri was released from the hospital, then released into a wildlife reserve elsewhere in the state of Queensland, of which Brisbane is the capital.
The nonprofit said on social media that, although it commended the bus driver, people should not handle koalas unless they are trained, as the eucalyptus leaf-loving marsupials have dangerous claws and can bite. People improperly handling koalas around the animals’ midsections can also cause serious rib damage to them, Koala Rescue Brisbane South said.
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