It was not unusual for Australian Bruce Atkinson to see koalas on his porch. But when one of the
marsupial visitors gave him a spiky reception in late 2016, he knew that something was wrong.
So he decided to go out of his way to do what he could to help the cute critter.
Bruce Atkinson is a 63-year-old technology consultants in the nuclear industry,
who lives in a small coastal town of Apollo bay to the east of Cape Otway in the state of Victoria
Australia. The area is host to spectacular wildlife and its waters act as a breeding
ground for Southern right whales. However, like much of Australia,
it also provides a home to some of the countries native Marsupials “the koala bear”.
Is one of Australia's most iconic indigenous animals and many are found living close to
human settlements. Since they don't pose a threat to humans, most people are happy to
live side by side with the lovable creatures. It was not unusual then for Atkinson to find
koalas on his property. Moreover, Australians have a special relationship with koala bears.
Across the rest of the world the adorable animals are an instantly recognizable
symbol of that great country, and they are a fantastic draw for wildlife loving tourists.
So it's perhaps not surprising that many Australians are keen to protect the future
of the species. As a result, when one worried looking Koala arrived outside Atkinson's house,
he was eager to offer his help with whatever it was that was ailing the miserable marsupial.
“I was just wondering out to have some breakfast early in the morning, and I saw koala on the
porch”, he explained to a reporter from ABC radio Melbourne. “It wondered up, which is not unusual.
He continued, but this one looked a little bit distraught. It was just sitting there all glum”.
A concerned Atkinson went over to take a closer look to try to ascertain the nature
of the animal's problem. But as Atkinson advanced toward the koala, he could see
what was up straight away. The creature’s fur was covered in masses of tiny plant prickles.
“I went out to take a photo of it and noticed all these burrs all over it”, he explained.
Atkinson knew the poor creature needed his assistance, but given the fact that it was a
wild animal, he was dealing with here. He wasn't sure how to best approach it. So,
he decided to try to win the Koala trust first, by offering him a drink of water from a dish.
However, his well-meaning gesture didn't go down as well as he had hoped,
“I grabbed a bowl of water and put it near it, and it immediately got swatted out of my hand”
Atkinson revealed. He later learned that koalas get their water through sucking on gum leaves.
So it is little wonder that the animal was less than impressed with the bull offering.
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Now, back to the story. Atkinson realized that
since the burrs were causing the Kuala so much discomfort, the animal would have little patience
for any human interaction. Consequently, Atkinson concluded that the best plan of
action would be to simply get on with removing the spiky thorns from the koala’s fur, so the
good Samaritan returned to the house to prepare himself for the task that he had set himself.
Atkinson pulled out a motorcycle glove for protection from the cranky koala. And on the
other hand, he armed himself with a hairbrush, then he went back outside to the waiting furry
patient. Before approaching the irritable animal with a hairbrush, he let it sniff
at the object. Then he tested how the koala would react to being lightly touched with it.
“I just gently poke the brush at some of the burrs”, Atkinson explained. Amazingly the wild
koala seemed to enjoy Atkinson's brushing technique and showed none of the aggression
it had displayed over the bowl of water. “Within seconds, it decided this is all right. I'll have
more of this”, Atkinson later told ABC. Yes, before his eyes, the defensive animal
turned completely docile. Astonished by an unbelievable scene he was witnessing,
Atkinson decided he needed visual evidence of this unlikely koala encounter. So,
pulling out a camera, the wildlife lover started to film himself, grooming the wild creature.
In the footage, which has since been uploaded online, he can be heard softly reassuring
the animal as he gently brushes out the burrs. Atkinson first shared his video with the Otway
community news Facebook group, users of the group share local reports and human-interest stories
from around the Cape Otway area on the page. And that corner of the online community reacted
warmly to the wonderful footage of Atkinsons brushed with nature. Before long, the koala
grooming video had clocked up thousands of views. And had received dozens of approving comments,
“poor little fella”, read one post below the clip. “He must've been so uncomfortable, what a trusting
koala. I think you have a friend for life, such a feel-good story”, another Otway community
news follower added to the Facebook page, after viewing Atkinson's amazing footage.
Thank you! Bruce. I bet, now she will impress all of her male mates with her new hairdo.
However, Atkinson later claimed that the ability to attract the opposite sex may have been the
least of the koala’s worries that day. Wildlife officer suggested- “she was just getting away
from the boys”. He revealed because they get a bit frisky at this time of year.
Later, Atkinson returned to the Otway community newspaper to thank its members for all their
support, “Merry Christmas, to all who commented and expressed kind thoughts”,
he wrote in December of 2016. I can hardly believe the overwhelming response.
It is unknown, if the Koala in question has ever returned to pay the altruistic Atkinson a visit,
but it is likely that she will never forget her grooming session with the kind stranger.
Although she initially gave him a prickly reception, there is no doubt the koala left
Atkinson's impromptu salon, feeling fresher and much more comfortable.
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