Koala rescued from road sign in Townsville, Queensland

The juvenile male was spotted on the night of June 11 by drivers and passers-by on the Ring Road near the Beck Drive exit.

Queensland’s Department of Environment, Science and Innovation said a person with “wildlife rescue experience” was able to get the youngster down safely and contact James Cook University’s emergency veterinary clinic.

Veterinarians found the animal healthy, took tissue samples for further analysis and turned it over to the department’s wildlife officials.

Senior wildlife officer Tony Frisby said the Townsville region was considered by some to be close to the northern part of the koala’s habitat in Queensland.

“This is an exciting discovery as it is quite unusual for a koala to be seen in the wild in Townsville,” Frisby said.

“It’s also quite confusing as the koala was found in an area considered unsuitable for koala habitat and we’re not sure where it came from.”

He said there were koalas in the greater Townsville region, but they often went unnoticed because they were well camouflaged in the trees.

“This sighting is a reminder for people in the region to report all koala sightings to the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service using the QWildlife koala app, which can be downloaded for free,” he said.

“People who see sick or injured koalas or koalas in unusual places should report it to DESI via the QWildlife app, call the RSPCA on 1300 264 625 (1300 ANIMAL) or contact a registered wildlife carer.”

Frisby said if lab results show the animal is free of serious illnesses, the koala will be released into a suitable habitat in the region.

“We still haven’t determined the best place to release the koala,” he said.