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Aussie influencers delete video of 'abhorrent' koala trick after backlash | Yahoo Australia

17 February 2025

Subscribe and turn on notifications🔔 : https://buff.ly/3F6ZiLt | A couple travelling around Australia have pulled down a controversial guide on how to coax koalas down from trees and take selfies with them.

Their decision to delete the video came after the nation’s largest rescue group called it “abhorrent” and warned that anyone who copied their behaviour would risk severe injury.

The NSW-based travellers advertised their DIY six-step video as a “foolproof process” to avoid expensive wildlife parks. The video shows the man using his “secret” trick to coax the koala down, before warning viewers to stand by in case of attack and then shows the woman gaining “close contact” and petting the animal.

Yahoo News has opted not to describe the method used in the video, as it can induce stress in koalas.

The couple behind the stunt told Yahoo News they “were just playing around”.

At least three experts were familiar with the specific methods used to engage with the wild koala, saying it was only ever used as a last resort to capture sick or injured animals. The video was removed after Yahoo News advised the couple of the concerns raised by WIRES.

While koalas are not as dangerous as venomous snakes or crocodiles, they are able to inflict devastating wounds. And that’s a key reason Dr Tania Bishop, the head vet at WIRES animal rescue service, was troubled by the influencer couple’s video.

She said, “It’s step one, step two, step three. It looks very much like they’re trying to show people a method of summoning a wild koala and to me, that’s the most horrifying thing. Why would you post something like that?”

There’s one particular moment in the clip, when Bishop believes the woman risked being scalped by the koala. She said, “When she’s taking a selfie, if that koala was frightened of her being in its way and in its territory… there’s every reason it could have dug [its] teeth or claws into her head.”

In Victoria, where the video was filmed, interfering with a koala without a permit can carry a fine of up to $46,154 and/or two years in jail.

Read more: https://au.yahoo.com/news/travelling-aussie-influencers-delete-video-of-abhorrent-koala-trick-after-backlash-021934239.html

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Aussie influencers delete video of ‘abhorrent’ koala trick after backlash | #shorts #yahooaustralia

17 February 2025

View transcript

Subscribe and turn on notifications🔔 : https://buff.ly/3F6ZiLt | A couple travelling around Australia have pulled down a controversial guide on how to coax koalas down from trees and take selfies with them.

Their decision to delete the video came after the nation’s largest rescue group called it “abhorrent” and warned that anyone who copied their behaviour would risk severe injury.

The NSW-based travellers advertised their DIY six-step video as a “foolproof process” to avoid expensive wildlife parks. The video shows the man using his “secret” trick to coax the koala down, before warning viewers to stand by in case of attack and then shows the woman gaining “close contact” and petting the animal.

Yahoo News has opted not to describe the method used in the video, as it can induce stress in koalas.

The couple behind the stunt told Yahoo News they “were just playing around”.

At least three experts were familiar with the specific methods used to engage with the wild koala, saying it was only ever used as a last resort to capture sick or injured animals. The video was removed after Yahoo News advised the couple of the concerns raised by WIRES.

While koalas are not as dangerous as venomous snakes or crocodiles, they are able to inflict devastating wounds. And that’s a key reason Dr Tania Bishop, the head vet at WIRES animal rescue service, was troubled by the influencer couple’s video.

She said, “It’s step one, step two, step three. It looks very much like they’re trying to show people a method of summoning a wild koala and to me, that’s the most horrifying thing. Why would you post something like that?”

There’s one particular moment in the clip, when Bishop believes the woman risked being scalped by the koala. She said, “When she’s taking a selfie, if that koala was frightened of her being in its way and in its territory… there’s every reason it could have dug [its] teeth or claws into her head.”

In Victoria, where the video was filmed, interfering with a koala without a permit can carry a fine of up to $46,154 and/or two years in jail.

Read more: https://au.yahoo.com/news/travelling-aussie-influencers-delete-video-of-abhorrent-koala-trick-after-backlash-021934239.html

Follow us on:
► TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@yahooaustralia
► Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yahoolifestyleau
► Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yahoolifestyleau
► Website: https://au.yahoo.com/

#YahooAustralia #YahooNewsAustralia #BreakingNews #LatestNews #YahooNewsAU