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Mother koala takes joey for a stroll down main street sidewalk

By Ben Hooper
A mother koala takes her joey for a stroll down the sidewalk in South Australia. Screenshot: Storyful
A mother koala takes her joey for a stroll down the sidewalk in South Australia. Screenshot: Storyful

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MCLAREN FLAT, Australia, Oct. 25 (UPI) -- A South Australia couple driving down a city's main street came across an unusual sight -- a mother koala walking down the sidewalk with a joey on her back.

Radek Petlak recorded the video Friday in McLaren Flat, south of Adelaide, and it was posted to Instagram by his wife, Emma Barry.

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The video shows the koala mother walking down the sidewalk with her baby on her back and turning to look at the camera before continuing on her way.

"We were super confused when we first saw it when driving past but we're so glad we pulled over and got out of the car to watch her," the couple told the Australian Broadcasting Corp. "After we stopped filming she went down the driveway of the house and headed to their garden. Such a beauty!"

The video went viral after being posted to South Australia's official Facebook page.

"They were spotted near the local bakery so perhaps they were just dashing out for a bit of morning tea?" the post said.

Charles, a worker at the nearby bakery, said koalas are common in the area, but it's highly unusual to see one of the tree-dwellers walking down the sidewalk in broad daylight.

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"It's much less dense residentially here, so I guess they feel safe to do their thing," he said. "[But] it's a rare thing to see a koala on it's way to the bakery in the main street."

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