Truth behind viral photo of 'grieving' koala

Words by Nadine Carroll

An arresting photograph of a lone koala sitting next to a dead one on Kangaroo Island has gone viral.

Many news outlets have reported that the marsupial sitting on the ground with its head in its paws can be seen grieving the loss of its “friend”.

However, according to Kelly Donithan from the Humane Society International (HSI) Disaster Response team who was photographed rescuing the koala, the truth behind the images is even more revealing.

Due to the excessive number of wildlife deaths on Kangaroo Island, it’s not a rare sight to see the charred bodies of animals littering the area.

“The wildlife death toll is so high that those who survive are living among the dead,” HSI Australia shared on social media.

Although HSI told Yahoo News Australia it was not uncommon to find a live koala carrying a deceased joey still in its pouch, koalas were solitary animals and unlike our other Aussie mascot, the kangaroo, they don’t live in packs or “mobs”.

A third of Kangaroo Island was destroyed in catastrophic bushfires that also claimed the lives of two locals and because of the sheer number of animal casualties on the island, it’s not uncommon to find injured animals near the bodies of those who didn’t make it.

“The survivors have little to no energy reserves left and we are finding them sitting on the ground totally shut down – all too often with other corpses nearby,” HSI disaster response expert Ms Donithan told Yahoo News Australia.

The charred forest floor on Kangaroo Island is now littered with corpses of animals incinerated by the blazes that swept through two weeks ago.

It’s unknown how many of the 50,000 koalas living on Kangaroo Island have been either killed or severely injured in the recent bushfires, but the South Australian government announced on Sunday 32,000 wildlife and livestock have been killed in the blazes.

“The image of the koala by the water near the body of another koala is particularly heartbreaking. Sadly, this is the reality on the ground on Kangaroo Island,” Ms Donithan said.

The positive news for this koala is she is now receiving the care she needs.

“We did manage to rescue this koala and she is doing well in the emergency rehab at the Kangaroo Island Wildlife Park,” Ms Donithan said.

To donate to the Humane Society International Australia, click here.