A DEAD koala left outside the Heywood police station with a $50 note stuffed in its mouth is believed to be a protest against alleged unfair treatment by police.
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Sergeant Jason Von Tunk was working alone at night on August 2 when a dead koala was dumped in the police station’s driveway.
After calling in an officer from Portland, the pair found a $50 note in the koala’s mouth.
With no message attached, it appeared the reason for the stunt would remain a mystery.
However, after numerous phone calls from the public, police understand the man behind the act was a 31-year-old who had been arrested a day earlier and charged with drug possession and theft.
Sergeant Von Tunk said the man had an erratic personality and was arrested after stealing water from a local takeaway shop.
“We know who the person is but we still don’t know why he did it,” he told The Standard. “He’s an out-of-towner with no fixed address and has since left the area.
“We’ve been told he said to people ‘animals are treated better than I was in this town’.
“We had about six or seven calls from the public who saw what happened and contacted us.
“A truck did hit the koala accidentally so that’s no offence, and he’s picked it up to bring it here.”
The man was bailed in court to appear in Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on October 28.
