»‘Man deserves a beer’: Koala crossing highway traffic escort goes viral«
A kind Irishman who halted traffic to assist a koala across a busy Australian highway has been lauded for his thoughtful act.
Will Thornton became popular last week when footage of him performing the courageous traffic maneuver went viral.
Mr. Thornton was observed barefoot yesterday obstructing traffic on a dual carriageway in Burleigh Heads as he crawled across the notoriously crowded Gold Coast Highway.
“Our Irish son-in-law escorting koala across Gold Coast Hwy in Burleigh Heads this morning,” Katrina Boyle said on Facebook, along with a link to the video.
The 39-year-old man reported to the Courier Mail that he observed the animal while drinking coffee on his balcony.
Mr. Thornton stated, “My wife and I were having coffee on the balcony when we saw a koala emerge from the tree below us. I thought it was pretty cool.”
“As he moved toward the Gold Coast Highway, I feared for his safety and dashed down to assist him.
“He was hell-bent on crossing the street.
“He just kept going, so I had to attempt to stop the traffic.” I had no idea what the hell I was doing.
“I attempted to make the cars look.”
Mr. Thornton reported that road users were “pretty understanding” of his requests when they observed the animal he was attempting to save.
“In the video, you can see a cyclist laughing at me, and a few people gave me the thumbs up,” the good Samaritan remarked.
His performance has been viewed millions of times online, and the public has enthusiastically praised him for his excellent work.
One wrote, “Man deserves a beer – good on you, mate.”
“Well done old mate. “It’s so refreshing to see someone helping animals, particularly my favorite, the koala,” said another.
Spring and summer are the most active seasons for koalas in Australia.
The footage, according to conservationists, should serve as a reminder that appropriate koala habitats are diminishing.
The Queensland Conservation Council’s Dave Copeman told The Guardian that Southeast Queensland has been significantly damaged by land clearing, primarily for construction and transportation.
“At this point, we simply cannot allow any more clearing to occur; we are destroying koala habitats,” he stated.
“The truly worrisome reality is that koalas threaten extinction in the wild if the current trend continues. The scientific evidence is conclusive.”
Breeding season for koalas typically runs from September to February, thus the nocturnal marsupial can become more active and mobile in the spring and summer.
»‘Man deserves a beer’: Koala crossing highway traffic escort goes viral«