What really happened to the koala screwed to the post in Australia

A photo of a dead koala screwed to a wooden post in Queensland caused outrage when it surfaced online earlier this week.

The dead koala was found screwed to a pole in a park in Queensland, Australia, in what seems to have been an act of animal cruelty.

Wildlife rescuers from Koala Rescue Queensland responded to a callout about a koala climbing a wooden gazebo but, instead, found the animal was dead and had been screwed in place.

The incident happened in Brooloo Park Lookout, Queensland, on Wednesday.

An autopsy now reveals what the wildlife rescuers suspected: the koala was already dead when it was screwed to the pole and the autopsy results appear to indicate the animal died after being hit by a car.

RSPCA investigator Michael Beatty told Yahoo7 it was "in some ways" thankful the koala was already dead when it was attached to the wooden pole.

"We would still like anyone with information to come forward. It's very disturbing someone would do this – nail or screw a koala near a place kids and family walk through," he added.