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Aussie woman's adorable find hidden in Christmas tree
A South Australian woman has been left full of Christmas cheer after she discovered a very merry surprise cuddled up in the boughs of her Christmas tree.
Adelaide Koala rescue charity 1300Koalaz were stunned on Thursday when they received a call reporting a holiday freeloader found hiding out in a suburban Christmas tree.
Adelaide woman Amanda McCormick had walked into her living room to discovery a koala taking refuge in her newly erected tree and, unsure of what to do called to koala hotline service.
Sharing the adorable tale to Facebook, the organisation explained they were just as flabbergasted as Amanda when they heard what she had to say.
“This evening our hotline operator took a call,” the organisation relayed. “At first she thought she was the victim of a prank call.”
“But no, a koala desperate to get in the Christmas spirit had wandered into Amanda McCormick’s house and decided it wanted to be the fairy on the Christmas tree.”
Amanda shared snaps with the organisation of the hysterical discovery, which have since gone viral on Facebook.
In the photos, the adorable Aussie battler peeks out from within the branches of the festive tree staring unashamedly down the barrel of the camera.
The photo has been liked by thousands and attracted hundreds of comments from onlookers warmed by the site of the species seeking shelter.
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“Makes a change from the usual cat tree climbers/wrecked,” one person observed.
“Aww, how adorable,” another gushed. “Thank you so much for saving these precious animals.”
“Awwwww Amanda McCormick, you made that little Koala's wish come true,” another wrote. “Adorable pictures. I would love to have a little Koala in my Christmas tree.”
“That is just about the cutest thing ever!” one lady wrote, summing up the feeling of everyone. “I want a koala in my Christmas tree!”
The heartwarming tale is a spot of good news for koalas who were decimated over the past 12 months by bushfires, with harrowing tales of wildlife loss and injury coming in thick and fast.
Most recently it was revealed that a surprisingly small amount of native animals received medical treatment from Victoria during last season’s bushfires which burnt 1.5 million hectares of bushland.
The numbers, provided by the Department of Environment (DELWP) reveal just 272 native animals were given veterinary care by the government’s four official triage units in Victoria.
As Australia looks down the barrel of another bushfire season, wildlife advocates have described the low number of animals treated by the Victorian government last summer as “horrifying” and are demanding answers.
With additional reporting by Michael Dahlstrom.
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