Heartbroken koala mourns female friend in Adelaide Hills

Heartbreaking footage shows the moment a grieving koala mourns the death of his female companion in the Adelaide Hills.

Heartbreaking footage has emerged of the moment a grieving koala mourns the death of his female companion in the Adelaide Hills.

The koala embraces the female friend in a tight clasp, hugging her tights for a couple of minutes.

Experts say this type of behaviour is rarely witnessed by wildlife rescuers.

Koalas are not social animals so experts say this rare display of affection is rarely witnessed by wildlife rescuers.

The koala seen mourning its female friend. Picture: 9News

The koala was visibly upset. Picture: 9News

The marsupial is known to be territorial and adults will generally only tolerate each other when breeding.

Adult male koalas are noticeably larger than adult female koalas, with a broader face and distinctly larger black nose, and can easily be distinguished by the large scent gland on their chest.

Social media users were moved by the scenes.

“So very sad, poor darling,” wrote one Facebook user wrote.

“Animals have hearts even bigger than us humans,” a second wrote.

“Omg this breaks my heart,” a third wrote. “Animals absolutely know when the lose their mates. One thing I will never ever forget seeing my dog go through this.”