The subadult male was spotted on the night of June 11 by drivers and passers-by on Ring Road, near the Beck Drive exit.
Queensland’s Department of Environment, Science and Innovation said a person “experienced in wildlife rescue” was able to get the young fellow down safely and contact James Cook University’s emergency veterinarian clinic.
Vets found the animal to be healthy, collected tissue samples for further analysis, and handed it over to the Department’s wildlife officers.
Senior wildlife officer Tony Frisby said the Townsville region was considered by some to be close to the northern extent of koala habitat in Queensland.
“This is an exciting discovery as it is quite unusual for a koala to be seen in the wild in Townsville,” Frisby said.
“It is also quite perplexing as the koala was found in an area considered to be unsuitable koala habitat, and we’re not sure where it came from.”
He said there were koalas in the broader Townsville region, but they often went unseen, being well camouflaged among the trees.
“This sighting is a reminder for people in the region to report all koala sightings to the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service by using the koala QWildlife app, which can be downloaded for free,” he said.
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“People who see sick or injured koalas or koalas in unusual places, should report it to DESI using the QWildlife app, call the RSPCA on 1300 264 625 (1300 ANIMAL), or contact a registered wildlife carer.”
Frisby said if the laboratory results show the animal had no serious ailments, the koala would be released into suitable habitat in the region.
“We have not yet determined the best location for the release of the koala,” he said.