This is what love looks like. When Lizzy the koala went into surgery at Australia Zoo in Queensland, Australia her joey Phantom could not be separated from her.
Lizzy suffered chest trauma and her lung collapsed when a car hit her west of Brisbane. Unfortunately it is all too common for koalas to be hit by cars due to humans moving into their habitat.
Throughout the procedure to fix these problems Phantom clung to his mum’s back to provide him with comfort.
Phantom was in Lizzy’s pouch when she arrived at the hospital. He is a tiny little boy weighing just 420g (0.9lb) while an adult koala averages 10-15kg (22-33lb).
Thanks to the work of the hospital he will get to grow to this weight with keepers monitoring the pair in the hope they will soon be able to return to the wild.
Currently they are recovering in the koala wards where they are enjoying cuddles from wildlife hospital staff. Phantom has been enjoying exploring the leafy surrounds of the ward.
Australia Zoo relies on public support to help the large number of koalas which pass through their hospital each year. To get one koala back to the wild takes $1500-$5000.
Photo Credit: Australia Zoo
