Viral koala photo at gas station triggers environmental alarm, highlights grim reality of deforestation

Internationally renowned news portal Daily Mail is reporting on this unique photograph, which was initially discovered on Facebook.

The photograph manifests the appealing sight of a koala sitting tranquilly near a gas station, alongside a busy highway. The undaunted creature doesn't exhibit any fear. It simply observes a man refueling his car with gasoline and another bystander, a man strolling with a little girl.

Despite irresistible admiration and adoration for the koala among Facebook users, environmentalists held a contrasting perspective and did not mince words.

Helen Oakley, a nature specialist and koala activist, is ringing alarm bells. She views the photograph as a grim portrayal of the reality faced by this endangered species in the wild.

She opines that these mammals are progressively losing their habitats in the nearby bush areas due to reckless deforestation.

"I look at this picture and it saddens me (...) It's challenging for people to comprehend the larger implications, they simply think, 'oh look, a cute koala, let's take a photo,'" laments a distraught Oakley, as reported in the Daily Mail.

She informed Daily Mail reporters that she had observed a similar situation the previous year. A koala had climbed a power pole with no nearby trees, which were cut down by local authorities.

"As of February 2022, koalas were recognized as endangered in New South Wales and Queensland, " was reported on the Daily Mail's website.