A curious koala has been captured wandering perilously close to a Sydney train line before the native animal was corralled to safety into nearby bushland.
The marsupial was caught on video crawling beneath a fence on to a platform at Casula train station, in the city’s south-west, shortly after 4am on Friday.
It then wandered the platform’s edge – past the yellow line – before moving to the stairs to explore the bridge connecting the platforms.
A security guard on a passing train noticed the animal and put in a call warning trains to slow down when passing the station.
Police arrived about 4.30am to usher the marsupial back through the fence into the adjoining bushland, but not before a commuter was able to get a closeup video.
South-west Sydney is home to a large koala population, but they face mounting threats from urban development.
Vehicle strikes have increased in the region in recent years as new roads increasingly divide their natural habitat and force the animals into harm’s way.
The NSW government has invested $600,000 into the region as part of its koala strategy, appointing a dedicated koala officer, restoring habitats and tracking the animals to avoid vehicular deaths.
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The strategy also targets 18 other koala populations across the state, backed by a total investment of $15.7m.