Miracle is captured on camera in Australia: Why this adorable image could have gone horribly wrong
A baby koala that had slipped from its mother’s back found an unlikely saviour on Thursday – a Golden Retriever named Denni.
Portland resident Steve Lamplough said he rushed outside after hearing his dogs barking and was stunned when Denni came running up carrying the joey gently on her back.
‘Heard the dogs barking and went outside and called them and Denni came running up to me with this on her back, both as happy as Larry,’ Mr Lamplough wrote on Facebook.
Mr Lamplough quickly grabbed his camera to capture the remarkable sight, which was later described as ‘the cutest thing I’ve seen on the internet.’
The joey eventually climbed off Denni and made its way safely back to its mother in a tree in Mr Lamplough’s backyard.
‘It took off up the tree and mum found it a bit later. No-one hurt. Mum and bub still up a tree in our garden,’ he said.
The baby joey was lucky it came into contact with Denni and not another dog.
Golden Retriever Denni allowed a koala joey to take a ride
The koala joey took a ride on Denni’s back before going back up a tree to its mother
Dog attacks are the third most common cause of koala death.
Koalas have thin skin that is easily punctured, but even if the skin isn’t broken, the internal organs can be severely damaged by a dog’s bite.
According to the Australian Koala Foundation, 80 per cent of dog attacks on koalas result in death.
Dr Bill Ellis, founder of The University of Queensland’s Koala Ecology Group, told Daily Mail Australia the koala joey ‘found the right dog’.
‘The wrong dog would’ve been a disaster, but Golden Retrievers are very much less likely to attack them,’ Dr Ellis said.
‘It’s come down in the right backyard and found the right dog. The breed of dog is the mediating factor in this interaction.
‘Little koalas will automatically grab onto virtually anything, and they’re quite easy to foster if one loses a parent.’
Dr Ellis said koalas riding on the backs of dogs was nothing new.
Denni was more than happy to accomodate her new fury friend
‘Many years ago, people could get on a boat in the middle of Brisbane, go up to Lone Pine Sanctuary, and do a tour there and they would have dogs that would come down and meet people at the boat with koala joeys clinging to their backs as a bit of a stunt,’ he said.
Many Aussies commended the pup for its kind actions.
‘Your dog is amazing. The baby probably had fallen and the fact your dog allowed it to climb on, that’s amazing. I’m guessing your dog is female and has been a mum. Either way that’s special,’ a Facebook user said.
A second added: ‘Just shows how much kindness and love Golden Retrievers have, how special.’
A third said: ‘Super extraordinary story to share. Love the photos and so pleased mum was nearby and a successful reunion was had. Bub must have fallen off mum.’
