Overview
- The koala, which rescuers found in Koroit after a callout on Wednesday evening, had such severe injuries that a volunteer vet euthanised it.
- Investigators arrested and interviewed a 67-year-old in Warrnambool, then released him as they expect to charge him on summons.
- Victoria Police and the state Conservation Regulator opened a joint probe and urged people to share dashcam or CCTV, noting wildlife cruelty can carry fines up to $101,000 and two years in prison.
- Witnesses reported a white Toyota ute — a pickup truck — with a koala tied by a rope, described the driver as an older man wearing glasses, and rescuers traced about 100 metres of blood and fur along King Street.
- Local carers said the case underscores gaps in regional wildlife care, pointing to a still-unbuilt $4.7 million hospital promised in 2023 and a pattern of prior cruelty incidents in southwest Victoria.