'Persistent' koala jumps into man’s car in Australia and refuses to get out

A man in Australia was surprised to find a "persistent" koala refusing to budge from his car after the creature was attracted by the air conditioning.

Tim Whitrow, a winemaker for Alluca Vineyards in South Australia, posted videos and photos of the marsupial as it sat happily in his car with his dog.

Posting to Facebook, Mr Whitrow said: "I had left my door open for my dog to come in and out as she pleased with the A/C on.

"As I was moving to another part of the vineyard I noticed that someone else was also in the car.

"It took a fair bit of convincing to get the feisty little fella out."

The videos, which show Mr Whitrow trying to coax the koala back out into the wild, have been viewed thousands of times.

He said: "It's been very dry and native wildlife will take any opportunity to release the stress from heat if they can.

"He jumped into the back seat in the vineyard as I was taking samples of grapes ready to harvest.

"I can't believe he was so persistent but it turns out he is a she with a little Joey in her pouch – so just being a good mother."

Mr Whitrow politely asked the koala to leave his car, offering it water and opening the doors to tempt it outside.

He can be heard in the video asking: "Come on, mate. Can I get you to come out of my car please?"

Mr Whitrow said if the same thing happens to someone else, they should call a professional to take care of the animal.

He said: "It is a good news story that I think if it can brighten up the world and give everyone a smile just for a day then great ... I think if that happens to any body else just ring a professional."