Koala joey clings to back of a dog in Adelaide Hills, mistaking it for its mother
A koala has been filmed in Stirling clinging desperately to its substitute “mother” — Tony the dog.
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Plenty of people come to SA to hold a koala but what if it grabs you and won’t let go?
This was the predicament facing Tony the dog, who was let out into the yard of his Adelaide Hills home on Sunday morning.
Owner Henry found the joey clinging desperately to the back of his dog, shuffling around as Tony gingerly tried to peel them off.
Tony did eventually get the koala back on to the ground, at which point it scurried back up into the trees in search of its real mother.
“Tony barked like he wanted to go outside for a pee,” Henry said.
“I followed him on his way out and saw the baby jump on him. It went for about two minutes before he came off and scampered up a tree.
“I think his mum was probably up in the tree having a sleep and the baby thought Tony was his mum.”
Henry said the dog had since recovered, and this was the first such interaction despite the marsupials being common in Stirling.
He also agreed that Tony was too old for these kinds of shenanigans.
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