A Brisbane wildlife rescuer has saved a baby koala from the deadly grip of a python after coming across the pair while out for a bushwalk, the ABC reported on Friday (6 November).
The rescuer, Nell, was walking her dog Pluto in Whites Hill Reserve at Camp Hill when she heard a commotion about 15 metres off the footpath, the ABC reported. "I heard a lot of birds, so I ran over and that's when I saw the joey look me dead in the eyes panicked and the mum was scratching at a python as she tried to get it off her baby," she said.
Nell scooped up the joey and started to unravel the snake. "I didn't know if the baby was breathing or had broken ribs or anything in that moment, I just picked it up and started unravelling," she said. "It all happened so quickly … and all of a sudden I've got the snake in one hand and then the joey clutching onto my left shoulder crying."
Mum Stayed Close By
A man walking nearby stopped to offer help, but when Nell asked him to hold the snake he very quickly said no and offered to hold her dog instead, the ABC reported.
Nell said she put the snake into a small tree while she checked the freed joey for injuries before reuniting it with its mum, who had stayed close by throughout the ordeal. "I made sure its limbs were moving correctly and that it was breathing ok … then I walked up to the tree that its mum was in and it went straight up to her," she said.
She said the python was about a metre-and-a-half in length, and she believes it would have killed the baby koala but not been able to swallow it. "I then walked with the snake wrapped around my arm until I felt it was far enough that it wasn't going to come back and do the same thing," she said.
"I came back about an hour or two later and saw the mum and her baby cuddling and they looked so happy," Nell said. "That was the best feeling in the world … the snake was fine and can find a smaller meal somewhere else."
Endangered Species in Whites Hill Reserve
Nell said she wanted to post the video to create more awareness about the endangered species and the challenges they face. National and state laws classify koalas as an endangered species, and across Australia the koala population is under threat from habitat loss, dog attacks, vehicle strikes and disease, according to Brisbane City Council.
Whites Hill Reserve, about 7 kilometres from the Brisbane CBD, covers about 170 hectares, and its open eucalypt forest and dry rainforest are home to many animal species, including the koala, the council says. Leashed dogs are allowed in the reserve. The Whites Hill Environment Group says the reserve is well known for having the largest and healthiest koala population in Brisbane, and holds regular koala counts to monitor the numbers and health of the population.
The council says sick, injured or orphaned koalas and other native species can be reported to the RSPCA Native Animal Ambulance Service on 1300 ANIMAL (1300 264 625).