Steve Lamplough is used to being surrounded by nature. His home outside Portland, Australia, sits on 5 acres of land, where his dogs love to run and play. They regularly see wildlife passing through, especially koalas who come to eat leaves from the massive manna gum tree in his garden, and they always keep a respectful distance.
But last week, Lamplough witnessed something he’d never seen before.
When barking drew him outside, Lamplough called for his dogs. Denni, his 9-year-old golden retriever, came running — proudly carrying a surprise on her back: a koala joey clinging to her fur.
“I couldn’t believe my eyes at first, and then I thought, ‘How the heck am I going to get it off her?’” Lamplough told The Dodo. “It was so funny watching her run, as the koala looked like a jockey bobbing up and down.”
Denni, whom Lamplough describes as “very friendly” and “affectionate,” has a strong maternal instinct. While koalas often wander through the property, she has never gotten this close before. “The dogs are usually intrigued when koalas pass by, but this is the first time anything like this has happened,” he said.
Lamplough guesses the baby might have either fallen off her mother or was off exploring when Denni came to check on her. Looking for warmth and comfort, the little joey may have mistaken the golden retriever for her mom.
“Both the baby and Denni did not look stressed and actually appeared to be enjoying each other’s company,” Lamplough said. “Denni was very excited to show me and seemed to have a chuffed look on her face.”
Koala joeys spend the first six months of their lives in their mother’s pouch, after which they begin to explore the world outside by riding on their mother’s back until they are about a year old. With breeding season running from August to February, koalas are on the move — especially around the town of Portland, where koalas enjoy the surrounding bushland and blue gum plantations.
Lamplough knew he had to separate the joey from his pup as quickly as possible. He only hoped he could break the joey’s strong grip without upsetting either animal.
“I told Denni to sit and walked behind them and put my hands under the koala’s underarms and pushed outwards so the claws became loose,” Lamplough said. “I then walked over to a tree, and after I released it, it climbed up the tree. I went back after 15 minutes, and the mum must have heard it and was up the tree with it.”
