Koala sparked police incident in Paradise

Police suspected an intruder when they cordoned off a street in Adelaide's north-east early yesterday morning. Instead of a cat burglar, they caught a miscreant marsupial. Police were called to an Avenue Rd property at Paradise just after 3.30am after residents reported a prowler walking on their roof.

Officers locked down the street to prevent the intruder from getting away though, as it turned out, it was unlikely he was going anywhere fast. They searched the roof to discover the culprit - a three-year-old koala - which was caught and released back into the wild.



The police's light-hearted report was almost as bizarre as the incident. "Police made an arrest overnight following a "disturbing" incident at Paradise which had potential to develop into a siege," a spokesperson said.

"Police immediately identified the culprit and arrested a large 3-year-old koala from nearby scrubland. The furry fiend was questioned and formally cautioned by attending officers before being released without charge."