ABOVE: See the “strutting koala” in action!
TORONTO – Video of a koala “strutting” through a shopping strip in Australia has become a viral hit after the too-cool-for-school marsupial amused tourists and locals alike – and even stopped to “pose” for photos.
The video was posted by an Australian woman who says she was enjoying a cup of coffee at a local café when she spotted the koala working his way down the street.
Chris Kerrigan told the Daily Mail in Australia that she had just moved to the city of Portland from South Australia, but was told it was not uncommon to see koalas walking the streets.
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“There seems to be quite a large koala population because of the vegetation around Portland,’ Kerrigan said. “But it’s not that common to see them walking down the footpath.”
In terms of strut swagger, the koala’s sashay ranked somewhere between John Travolta’s paint can prance in Saturday Night Fever and Tobey Maguire’s “Hey ladies, I’m baaaad now!” strut in Spider-Man 3.
Not only did the koala’s “strut” amuse onlookers, but he reportedly even stopped to “pose” for photos.
“The boy had a camera in his hand and wanted to take a photo,” Kerrigan said. “He sat down as if to say ‘Righto hurry up and take your photo.’”
The video has become an Internet hit since being posted to Kerrigan’s Facebook page, notching over 500,000 views and being widely shared across social media.
But as amusing as the koala’s walk may be, experts say it highlights a much more serious problem.
Habitat loss in the area has forced koalas to move into human-populated areas in search of food and shelter, which is a problem for both man and marsupial.
The Daily Mail also reports that the provincial government of Victoria has had to euthanize hundreds of Koalas over concerns regarding the animals over population and possible starvation.
So while this koala may be walking tall down a busy street, he may only be the first of many.
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