Shocking photo emerges of dead koala screwed to pole in Queensland park

The koala was initially thought to have been freely climbing up the wooden pole. Photo / Koala Rescue Queensland

A dead koala has been 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.

"I feel sick, like throwing up," Koala Rescue Queensland spokesman Murray Chambers told AAP.

"What sort of people do this?"

The act of cruelty is not an isolated case as the team of volunteers often responds to callouts to find koalas that have been shot or even beheaded.

Tests are now being conducted to determine whether the animal was dead or alive when it was screwed to the pole.