On a recent drive to work along a back road in Southern Australia, a woman named Carol did a double take when she noticed a small gray ball of fur crouched in the road up ahead.
Startled, Carol pulled over. Approaching the animal, Carol realized he was a koala. The little guy was lapping up water from a puddle on the cement. Carol knew that this behavior was a worrying sign. She quickly called Southern Koala and Echidna Rescue for backup.
Facebook/Southern Koala and Echidna Rescue Ltd
Arriving at the scene, rescuers were heartbroken to see the koala, later named Mustang, struggling in the road.
“[O]ur hearts always sink when we see them like this,” Mish Simpson, the director and founder of Southern Koala and Echidna Rescue, told The Dodo. “Mustang also [looked] obviously skinny, which had [us] more concerned.”
Facebook/Southern Koala and Echidna Rescue Ltd
In desperate need of assistance, Mustang had no problem letting his rescuers take him to safety.
“Mustang is a gentle boy, so [he] didn’t put up much of a fight when picked up,” Simpson said. “He seemed to know we wanted to help him.”
Clearly, Carol was right to be concerned. She knew that it’s never a good sign to see a koala on the ground. Additionally, the fact that Mustang was drinking from a puddle was a sure sign that he was dehydrated.
“Koalas are tree-dwelling animals and don’t feel safe on the ground,” Simpson said. “[F]or them to be on the ground for prolonged periods of time almost always means they are not well.”
Today, Mustang is living at the sanctuary, enjoying lots of crunchy eucalyptus leaves and regaining his strength. Rescuers are hopeful that, in time, Mustang will be back to his old self, up high in the Australian trees he loves so much.
