--- description: An Australian Police patrol caught a break from the usual beat when a woman handed over a backpack containing a tiny baby koala. title: Koala in a Backpack is the Cutest Thing You'll See All Day image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- * [Newsfeed](/tag/time-section-newsfeed/) ## Newsfeed Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # This Koala in a Backpack is the Cutest Thing You'll See All Day by [Dominique Rowe](/author/dominique-rowe/) ## Dominique Rowe Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Nov 7, 2016 9:52 AM CUT by [Dominique Rowe](/author/dominique-rowe/) ## Dominique Rowe Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Nov 7, 2016 9:52 AM CUT An Australian police patrol caught a break from the usual beat when a [woman handed over](http://mypolice.qld.gov.au/southbrisbane/2016/11/07/youll-never-guess-found-inside-one-womans-bag-wishart/ "undefined") a backpack containing a baby koala. Queensland’s Upper Mount Gravatt Tactical Crime Squad were in the process of detaining the 50-year-old woman for “outstanding matters” when they asked if she had anything to declare. The woman then gave them a canvas bag containing the joey. Alfred, as he is now known, is thought to be around six months old and is reportedly in good health despite signs of dehydration. “He’s been on fluids but is doing well and will shortly be going out to a carer,” said an RSPCA spokesperson. > [](https://twitter.com/QPSmedia/status/795471452489158657) The detained woman said she was taking care of the koala after finding it the night before on a local road. Koalas are protected in Australia under the Nature Conservation Act. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4560342/koala-backpack-australia-queensland/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4560342/koala-backpack-australia-queensland/"},"headline":"This Koala in a Backpack is the Cutest Thing You'll See All Day","datePublished":"2016-11-07T09:52:19.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T07:38:26.544Z","description":"\"We’ve called him Alfred\"","url":"https://time.com/4560342/koala-backpack-australia-queensland/","keywords":["Newsfeed","animals"],"thumbnailUrl":"","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Dominique Rowe","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/dominique-rowe/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-newsfeed/","name":"Newsfeed"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4560342/koala-backpack-australia-queensland/","name":"This Koala in a Backpack is the Cutest Thing You'll See All Day"}}]}] ```