An adorable video of a baby koala slurping on her bottle of milk has captivated viewers all over the world.
On Saturday, wildlife veterinary nurse Kerry Machado captured rescue koala Cherry enjoying a late-night feed.
The hungry koala can be heard eagerly slurping at the baby bottle in the nurse’s lap, snugly wrapped in a soft green blanket.
The touching video has already received over 20,000 views, with delighted social media users leaving their comments.
‘Right now, my maternal instinct is kicking in. ‘She is stunning,’ one woman wrote.
‘Cherry is such an adorable little trooper. ‘I like the noises,’ said a second.
‘How adorable. ‘I wish I could hold her in my arms,’ said a third.
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Another commentator joked that having to sleep 23 hours a day was “thirsty work.”
Cherry is seen in another adorable video tucking into some eucalyptus leaves, the main source of the marsupials’ diet.
While poisonous to other animals and humans, the native tree serves as a food source and a safe haven for wild koalas.
Koalas have been designated as an endangered species in New South Wales, Queensland, and the Australian Capital Territory. Habitat destruction and climate change, as well as disease, bushfires, and road accidents, have all contributed to the species demise.
According to the most recent population estimate, the country has between 32,000 and 58,000 koalas, down from between 46,000 and 82,000 in 2018.
The animals can be found in the southeast of Australia, from mid-north Queensland to New South Wales, Victoria, and South Australia. According to the data, the animals are now extinct in the Riverina electorate, which is directly in the heart of the koala’s habitat, while SA is estimated to have less than a thousand.
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