Animal rescuer issues dire warning for drivers after koala’s tragic fate
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Content Warning: This article mentions the death of an animal, which some might find upsetting. Reader’s discretion is advised.
An innocent koala’s tragic end highlighted the ongoing danger that Australia's native wildlife faces on our roads.
Leah Nelson, a rescuer for volunteer group 1300 Koalaz in Adelaide, issued a sobering plea after responding to an injured koala hit by a vehicle.
On Saturday night, October 14, a shift worker travelling down the highway in Eden Hills, Adelaide, came across a disturbing scene: a 12kg male koala in the middle of the road, struck by a passing car.
While the driver had stopped to check for damage to their own vehicle, they drove off without helping the injured 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 was disgusting,’ Ms Nelson said.
The good samaritan knew she needed to act fast to help the koala. She pulled over and called 1300 Koalaz for assistance, blocking traffic with her hazard lights to protect the koala and other road users.
With work responsibilities calling her away, a man named Richo stopped to offer his help until rescuers could arrive.
Richo carefully moved the koala, which he named ‘Caramello’, to the side of the road for its safety.
He also documented what happened and posted it on social media—which received millions of views.
Richo said on the video, ‘So old mate got hit by a car and they drove off. I pulled him off the side of the road—and you were not happy about that, were you, mate?’
Caramello could be seen on a sitting position in the clip, looking around with eyes filled with curiosity.
However, a sinister detail could be spotted too: a trail of blood dripping along the side of the kerb he was on.
Richo kept Caramello secure with blankets to keep him warm and restrict his movements as they awaited rescue. A minute in, the little fella even tried to climb up a nearby tree, but he could be seen visibly limping from his injury.
Eventually, rescuers arrived and took Caramello for urgent veterinary attention.
‘Poor thing, it makes me want to cry. I hate it,’ Richo admitted.
Numerous social media users praised him for his act and thanked him for not leaving the injured animal alone.
‘Thank you for staying with the koala and keeping it secured until it was collected. That was huge. Thank you,’ one comment said.
Another wrote: ‘Good on ya, mate. We need more people like you. Well done.’
You can watch Richo’s video here:
Richo posted an update a while later about Caramello’s tragic fate. He said on a separate video: ‘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.’
Sadly, the x-rays revealed that Caramello had severe internal injuries, including a dislocated hip from being thrown by the impact and blood trauma.
Heavy blood loss also meant nothing could be done to save his life.
Richo also claimed that he was ‘no hero by any stretch of the imagination’ and only did ‘what most people would have done’ in a similar situation.
The second video is available here:
Ms Nelson shared that what Caramello is, unfortunately, not unusual.
'This happens way too often,' Ms Nelson remarked, saying that the injured koala was in good health before the incident.
Ms Nelson is calling for greater driver awareness near known koala habitats to avoid such senseless losses of our iconic native species.
If you see an injured koala, call your local wildlife rescue group immediately. Residents in South Australia can contact 1300 Koalaz (562 529) or WIRES in other states and territories.
Have you encountered something similar, members? Share your experiences in the comments below!
An innocent koala’s tragic end highlighted the ongoing danger that Australia's native wildlife faces on our roads.
Leah Nelson, a rescuer for volunteer group 1300 Koalaz in Adelaide, issued a sobering plea after responding to an injured koala hit by a vehicle.
On Saturday night, October 14, a shift worker travelling down the highway in Eden Hills, Adelaide, came across a disturbing scene: a 12kg male koala in the middle of the road, struck by a passing car.
While the driver had stopped to check for damage to their own vehicle, they drove off without helping the injured marsupial.
A male koala was struck by a car in Adelaide. Credit: @forlackofabetterword/TikTok
‘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 was disgusting,’ Ms Nelson said.
The good samaritan knew she needed to act fast to help the koala. She pulled over and called 1300 Koalaz for assistance, blocking traffic with her hazard lights to protect the koala and other road users.
With work responsibilities calling her away, a man named Richo stopped to offer his help until rescuers could arrive.
Richo carefully moved the koala, which he named ‘Caramello’, to the side of the road for its safety.
He also documented what happened and posted it on social media—which received millions of views.
Richo said on the video, ‘So old mate got hit by a car and they drove off. I pulled him off the side of the road—and you were not happy about that, were you, mate?’
Caramello could be seen on a sitting position in the clip, looking around with eyes filled with curiosity.
However, a sinister detail could be spotted too: a trail of blood dripping along the side of the kerb he was on.
Richo kept Caramello secure with blankets to keep him warm and restrict his movements as they awaited rescue. A minute in, the little fella even tried to climb up a nearby tree, but he could be seen visibly limping from his injury.
Eventually, rescuers arrived and took Caramello for urgent veterinary attention.
‘Poor thing, it makes me want to cry. I hate it,’ Richo admitted.
Numerous social media users praised him for his act and thanked him for not leaving the injured animal alone.
‘Thank you for staying with the koala and keeping it secured until it was collected. That was huge. Thank you,’ one comment said.
Another wrote: ‘Good on ya, mate. We need more people like you. Well done.’
You can watch Richo’s video here:
Richo posted an update a while later about Caramello’s tragic fate. He said on a separate video: ‘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.’
Sadly, the x-rays revealed that Caramello had severe internal injuries, including a dislocated hip from being thrown by the impact and blood trauma.
Heavy blood loss also meant nothing could be done to save his life.
Richo also claimed that he was ‘no hero by any stretch of the imagination’ and only did ‘what most people would have done’ in a similar situation.
The second video is available here:
Ms Nelson shared that what Caramello is, unfortunately, not unusual.
'This happens way too often,' Ms Nelson remarked, saying that the injured koala was in good health before the incident.
Ms Nelson is calling for greater driver awareness near known koala habitats to avoid such senseless losses of our iconic native species.
If you see an injured koala, call your local wildlife rescue group immediately. Residents in South Australia can contact 1300 Koalaz (562 529) or WIRES in other states and territories.
Have you encountered something similar, members? Share your experiences in the comments below!
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