Chilling photo of drowned koala causes upset on social media

A wildlife charity has caused divide over a heartbreaking image of a dead koala shared online — with many branding it “triggering”.

Warning: Distressing.

A confronting photo of a koala lying dead at the bottom of a swimming pool has divided devastated wildlife fans.

The shock image of the native animal, which died when it fell into a pool while trying to fetch a drink to escape the heatwave, was shared by Wildcare Australia Inc to raise awareness about koala pool safety.

But the controversial Facebook post has been received with mixed reviews after people branded the photograph “triggering”.

A warning has been issued about koala safety after the death of one in an Aussie pool. Picture: Wildcare Australia Inc

“This is a difficult post to write,” the organisation wrote, alongside the chilling photo.

“I’m so sorry how sad it is everyone but am here to help educate and spread the message so it hopefully can save koala lives.”

The team behind the non-profit that operates in Queensland went on to explain that the koala, named Summer, sadly drowned in a Gold Coast pool during the early hours of Sunday morning.

After the homeowners made the grim discovery, they called the company in a desperate bid to help rescue the fallen marsupial, but she was sadly already gone.

“We assume she was looking for a drink, which is usually why koalas lose their lives to pool drownings. Even though koalas can swim, if there are no assisted ways for a koala to climb out they will eventually drown,” the post read.

Despite the charity’s intention to help save desperately thirsty koalas during Australia’s record heatwave, not everyone saw the positive message.

“You don’t need this shock value image to educate the public,” one angry follower wrote, adding they would unfollow the wildlife preservation charity.

“Trigger warning next time … I did not wish to see that as I opened FB,” another said.

Another post read: “Oh my gosh, this is heartbreaking.”

Some social media users have branded the heartbreaking image “triggering” saying the charity had gone too far with their post.

Others however saw the benefit of sharing a real photo of the devastation, revealing it had made them think twice about pool safety for animals.

“Very sad to see … but it is reality at the moment with no rain,” one person commented.

“This bought tears to my eyes. That poor girl, just after a drink and she loses her life. So gutted,” another person wrote.

“Hopefully with education us humans can prevent this terrible thing happening,” another suggested.

Some even thanked the wildlife company for its message: “Thank you for posting. Even though it is distressing to see it makes people aware.”

Many questioned why the pool had no fence, but it was later explained there was a regulation fence surrounding the water, which Summer had climbed over.

“The pool has all the regulation safety fencing from what I could see so it’s just one of those terrible, terrible things that can happen,” Wildcare Australia wrote.

According to the Australian Koala Foundation, there are ways to help koalas who find themselves in similar strife by making simple adjustments to your pool.

Heidi Cuschieri said the heat had caused the koala to find a water source elsewhere, as the eucalyptus leaves they usually get their water from, had all dried up.

These include tying a thick rope to a nearby tree with a flotation device attached and leaving it floating in the pool and covering the water securely when not in use.

Heidi Cuschieri, the volunteer who shared the photograph and attended the tragic rescue mission for Wildcare Australia Inc said the post had received a bigger reaction than they expected.

“It is a confronting image that has had more attention than we anticipated,” she told news.com.au.

“As wildlife volunteers we sadly see this on a daily basis and our goal is to educate. Sometimes you have to be real.

“While the image is sad, it’s great that the conversation is happening. Hopefully it won’t happen to another koala again.”

She added that a koala would only seek water from a pool or bottle if absolutely “desperate” — adding their usual source from eucalyptus leaves — had dried up in Australia’s scorching heatwave.

Did the charity go too far? Or is this a necessary message? Let us know below

Originally published as Chilling photo of drowned koala causes upset on social media