A WALK along Flinders Beach on North Stradbroke Island recently turned into an unusual encounter with a koala for a Cleveland family.
The koala in question ended up in the water.
Wildlife carer Jenny Davis said the koala was not cooling down or having fun and was blind and disoriented.
Ms Davis said the koala ran into the water as there were people between it and the trees.
"She was rescued and taken to a wildlife hospital where she later died," Ms Davis said. "A sad story and a sad future is ahead for all our koalas while our governments are fast-tracking development," she said on Facebook.
Wildcare Straddie founder Jack Jackson said the koala was suffering from neurological issues as well as a urinary tract infection.
Mr Jackson said he believed two other koalas nearby were possibly males trying to mate with the blind female.
"The tourists were unknowingly torturing the little blind koala and could only escape by running into the water.
"I find it disgusting that people stood on the beach watching the poor animal while it was literally drowning."
Capalaba wildlife carer Michael Wilson was part of the rescue team that picked up the animal from the Stradbroke Island ferry and got her to the hospital.
He said the animal was taken to the Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital after she was rescued but was subsequently euthanised.
"Koalas do not like humans, if they are getting that close there was something wrong, and no animal will run in circles unless there is something going on," he said.
Cleveland's Glenda Heaven, whose family passed two koalas sitting in trees about two metres off the ground near the blind koala, said they were very tame and not spooked at all by the attention.
She said her family spotted the koala running up and down the beach and playing around children, "just like a puppy".
The koala then decided to go into the water for a swim.
"The little chap went about 20m into the sea, swam around for a good half hour fascinating onlookers, before coming back to the beach," Mrs heaven said.
"He took a while to recover from his swim, but we have never heard of or seen this behaviour before . . . a koala who likes to 'play' with humans, and swim in the ocean."
Wildlife carers are calling on tourists to keep their distance from koalas after the incident.
