‘After I found the koalas I stood there and thought I could cry’.

January 5 2024: Michael Dahlstrom. https://au.news.yahoo.com/koalas-found-dumped-inside-cardboard-boxes-on-industrial-road-060909523.html

Rotting koalas have been discovered by a 77-year-old dog walker, left dumped on the side of an industrial road in suspicious circumstances.

Duane was enjoying the morning sun on Thursday when he spotted two of the animals on the outskirts of a city in southwest Victoria. A large male lying dead on a piece of cardboard, and the decayed remains of a second were spotted inside a box beside it.

“I thought, ‘Oh Christ’ when I first saw the first one. Then I looked in a box beside it and I could see some feet. I thought I’m not going to touch them, so I’ll call somebody for help” he told Yahoo News Australia.

Because he’s suffering from an illness, Duane’s morning walks around the backstreets of Portland are supposed to be relaxing. He needs to take them three times a day after taking medication to keep his cancer at bay.

Initially, he’d been worried the walks could become boring, but discovering a pair of dead koalas was not the sort of excitement he wanted. “I love animals. After I found the koalas I stood there and thought I could cry. It was really bad, really bad,” he said.

By speaking about his discovery, Duane is hoping the person who dumped the marsupials will be found, so he’s shared some key details he observed about the boxes. One once contained a Hot Devil branded speaker, while the other was used to ship Kraft Paper Bowl Lids.

Another koala discovered two days earlier

The two koalas were discovered just days after another large male was found 100 metres away. All three were seen on Thistle Road in Portland, close to a population known to suffer from chronic health issues that is managed by the Alcoa which operates the adjacent aluminium smelter. Yahoo does not suggest the three deceased koalas are in any way connected to the smelter. Alcoa said it had been unaware of the matter until it was notified about the discoveries by Yahoo, and it subsequently advised the regulator as per the requirements of the Wildlife Act.

The first koala was located by koala advocate Helen Oakley on Tuesday, but its body was later removed by an unknown party. The other two were still lying by the roadside on Friday morning, but it’s understood their bodies were collected by authorities after Yahoo began investigating the matter.

While the large male on the cardboard was still intact, Helen described the one inside the box as appearing smaller and badly decomposed. “The smell was disgusting. When I got home I could still smell the stench on my clothes, so I had to get out of them and wash them right away,” she said.

Officers from the Conservation Regulator, which is part of the Department of Environment (DEECA), are now investigating. “Anyone with information about this incident or cases of wildlife crime is urged to contact Crime Stoppers Victoria on 1800 333 000,” it said in a statement.

Local koala rescuer inundated with calls for help

Janet Murray who runs the wildlife rescue group Blessings of the Bush Koala Shelter described the placement of the Thistle Road bodies as “very odd”.

“It’s all out in the open. There are trees and lots of spots where they could be thrown into the bush. For all we know there could be more bodies out there,” she said.

Her volunteer-run shelter is located in Victoria’s southwest which has a large population of koalas that live in the region’s blue-gum timber plantations. After the trees are felled, she is consistently asked to rescue displaced koalas that are in need of new homes. By the time she’s able to help, many have suffered from dog attacks, car strikes and illness.