Find the grub who killed Kevin the koala: Poor animal is run over TWICE by the same driver before tragically dying hours later
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A koala has been left for dead by a callous driver that struck the marsupial not once but twice in an apparent attempt to finish it off, sparking outrage from horrified locals.
Gold Coast resident Brianna Lee spotted the koala with a broken leg 'dragging itself' across Tallebudgera Road in Burleigh Heads while driving home from work at about 4am Monday.
'The koala managed to reach a nearby tree and slowly climb up to a branch about 20 feet high,' Ms Lee wrote on Facebook.
'It was heartbreaking and scary to see it struggle.'
Sadly, the koala succumbed to its severe injuries hours later.
An Uber driver told Ms Lee that a driver 'initially clipped the koala and then went back to hit it a second time'.
Ms Lee said it made her 'ill to think someone could run over any animal twice and just continue on their way'.
An off-duty police officer pulled over to help while Ms Lee and the Uber driver called Wildcare Gold Coast.
A Gold Coast resident spotted this koala struggling up a tree after being hit twice by a car
After the Uber driver reported the incident to police, other officers soon arrived and blocked off the road.
Wildlife rescuers arrived a few hours later and managed to coax the koala down from the tree and into a crate.
The koala was taken to Currumbin Wildlife Hospital but died hours later from its severe injuries.
'The hospital staff speculated the second impact caused injuries too severe for the koala to survive, despite it otherwise being healthy and free of chlamydia,' Ms Lee told the Courier Mail.
Locals replied to Ms Lee's post saying they had seen the koala in the area for months.
'Aw, so sad because I saw this koala July and August last year on the path and chased it up this exact tree. I reported the sighting as well,' Giorgi Smith said.
The also expressed their outrage over the driver's cruelty.
'What a w**ker,' Suzanne Williams commented.
Despite the efforts of a local animal hospital the koala died of its injuries only a few hours after being spotted
A Currumbin Wildlife Hospital spokesperson urged motorists in the area needed to reduce their speeds and be careful of wildlife on the roads.
'Currumbin Wildlife Hospital has seen 38 koalas admitted in the last 30 days for a variety of reasons including trauma, illness and injury,' they said.
In response to public concern over koala safety, the Queensland state government trialled 'a Koala Zone' for 3km along Tallebudgera Connection Road from Valley Drive to Currumbin Creek Road from July last year to this January.
The trial involved monitoring vehicle speeds within the Zone and an assessing the effectiveness of speed reduction measures.
State Currumbin MP Laura Gerber speculated that the marsupial may have been saved if the koala zone was still in operation.
'It's devastating to learn a koala has been killed near Tallebudgera bridge, in the middle of koala breeding season,' Ms Gerber told the Courier Mail.
'It reinforces how important collision mitigation measures are to safeguard our precious koala population.'
'I will continue to advocate to protect this endangered species.'
