The koala who thought he was Goldilocks

A koala wandered into a Queensland holiday apartment and tried out several beds in a role reversal of the story "Goldilocks and the Three Bears", before curling up on its chosen one and having a snooze.

The three young women, who had rented the apartment on Magnetic Island, were unable to persuade it to move. They had first noticed the koala in a tree outside after checking in last Friday for a weekend break. They took several photographs, after which it descended on to their verandah and then joined them inside.

A wildlife ranger, Cliff Harman, said that the women had to convince him they were serious when they rang him. He told the Townsville Bulletin: "Someone had called up and said: 'This is not a prank, we have a koala sitting on a bed. What are we supposed to do?'" Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service rangers captured the koala and released it into the wild.

Mr Harman said the koala might have been searching for its favourite food, eucalyptus leaves, rather than a comfortable bolthole. "It's a big misconception that koalas are quite lazy. They are lazy in the day, but they are nocturnal animals."