A baby koala is fighting for its life after being shot 15 times in eastern Australia. The tiny koala, who is 16 months old, was found lying beside her mother, who had been killed. She has already undergone two surgeries to try to remove some of the 15 pellets in her body, the BBC is reporting.
The joey, as baby koalas are called, is being treated at the Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital, where she will undergo further surgery. The punishment for deliberately shooting a koala in Australia is a $225,000 fine or two years in prison, reports the Brisbane Times. Vet Amber Gillett, who is treating the joey, said in a statement:
Due to significant internal blood loss associated with her injuries, Frodo required an immediate blood transfusion and was prepared for surgery to repair the perforations to her stomach and intestines.
The incident has caused an uproar in Australia, with Australian Climate Change and Sustainability Minister Kate Jones describing the attack as "sick" and "cruel," according to the Australian Herald Sun. As she told that paper:
I'm absolutely disgusted by this cruelty and hope the young koala can recover.
There is an ongoing police investigation looking for the shooters as Frodo remains in critical condition.
Watch a report, via the Telegraph: