THE MORNING of October 19 started like any other for Blake Moon and his partner - they woke up, they took their dogs outside, and welcomed the day.
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But they could have never expected what happened next.
Sitting in one of the dog beds at their Forest Valley home, just outside of Rockley, was an unexpected visitor - a koala.
"It was pretty surprising, it wasn't something I expected to find," Mr Moon said.
Thinking that the koala was just stopping by, the couple then carried on with their day. They brought the dogs back inside before heading to the gym for around an hour.
But when they returned home, the koala was still there.
"We didn't expect to find it still there, we thought it might have just been passing through, but because it was still there we thought we should probably call WIRES," Mr Moon said.
"It seemed pretty strange for a koala to be, first of all at our back door, but also to not move for almost two hours."
When the WIRES (NSW Wildlife Information Rescue and Education Service) representative arrived, the koala was checked for any signs of injury, and was caught via a revolutionary method.
A blanket, and two clothes baskets were used to catch the animal, before it could be safely transported to the Blayney Veterinary Clinic for assessment.
There, it was micro-chipped and subsequently named Yuki - short for Eucalyptus.
Once Yuki was given a clean bill of health, it was observed in care by WIRES, before being released into the wild, not far from where it was found.
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Mr Moon searched the area for the perfect spot, and when it was found, the koala felt right at home.
"It basically just ran straight up the tree," Mr Moon said.
A WIRES spokesperson said that the koala sighting serves as a timely reminder that native animals are now on the move as the summer heat increases, and a lack of rain is causing them to seek food and water away from their usual habitat.
Sadly, a young female koala was hit by a car in the same area and did not survive, this is why WIRES is urging people to keep an eye out for wildlife in unusual locations.
If any animals or wildlife are found and appear distressed, injured or unwell, people are urged to call WIRES on 1300 094 737 for advice.
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