A British expat’s wild claim about Australia since moving six months ago: ‘They’re cheating us, don’t come’

A British expat who moved to Australia six months ago feels ‘ripped off’ after never seeing a koala in the wild.

Ella Wilson went hiking in Queensland’s Tewantin National Park after a local told her there were more than 300 koalas living there.

But after walking for over an hour and looking at “every tree,” all she experienced was a stiff neck.

The 21-year-old is now convinced that koalas ‘don’t exist’ and jokingly called the beloved animal’s existence in the wild a myth.

“Australia is a scam. Don’t come,” she said in a TikTok video.

Ella Wilson has branded Australia a ‘scam’ after not seeing a single koala since moving Down Under. She is now convinced that koalas ‘don’t exist’

‘Where I am now, I was told that there are more than 300 koalas living here.

‘I’ve been walking for over an hour, looking in every tree. There’s nothing. I just don’t believe they live here. Where are they? Absolutely nowhere.

‘I’ve been living in Australia for 6 months and haven’t seen one. Literally the only reason I came here. It’s a scam and they don’t exist.’

Ella told FEMAIL she has only seen koalas at Brisbane Zoo and is determined to see one in the wild before she leaves Australia.

“Wherever I go I always hope to see one, but that hasn’t happened yet,” she said.

The short video has since been viewed more than 95,000 times, with some Australians saying they too have only seen caged koalas.

“I was born here and in 58 years I have never seen a wild animal. So don’t feel too bad,” one person wrote.

“I’ve lived here for 30 years and I’ve only seen one wild koala,” said another.

“If you think it’s hard to see a koala, try finding a platypus in the wild,” a third commented.

Others decided to ridicule the expat.

“I bet they saw you,” someone said.

Another said: ‘We were warned you were coming to Australia so we hid all the koalas. But be on the lookout for drop bears.’

Another added: ‘You won’t find koalas in their natural habitat if there are drop bears around. Thank your lucky stars you didn’t encounter a drop bear.’

In 2022, koalas were listed as endangered in Queensland, New South Wales and the ACT.

According to World nature Fund, Koalas face a number of threats, including deforestation, chlamydia, traffic strikes and attacks by dogs.

It is estimated that there are between 86,000 and 176,000 koalas in the wild.