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AP FACT CHECK: Australian police didn’t raid koala ‘brothel’

CANBERRA, Australia – A story shared on social media that claimed police rescued koalas from an underground animal “brothel” in Australia is false.

The account posted by notallowedto.com and other sites said federal agents had arrested more than 40 people from a privately owned petting zoo at the town of Pinjarra in Western Australia state over allegations of bestiality and animal cruelty.

The story described the raid as the biggest crack down on an animal cruelty in Australia’s history.

The Australian Federal Police said in a statement on Friday its officers were not involved in such an operation.

Western Australia Police, which would have jurisdiction in such a raid, said in a statement: “We believe this to be fake news.”

Photographs published with the story do not depict koalas rescued in such a police operation. They are images of a koala hit by a car in Queensland state and a koala being treated for burns sustained in a wildfire in South Australia state.

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This story is part of an ongoing Associated Press effort to fact-check claims in suspected false news stories.

News from © The Associated Press, . All rights reserved.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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The Associated Press

The Associated Press is an independent global news organization dedicated to factual reporting. Founded in 1846, AP today remains the most trusted source of fast, accurate, unbiased news in all formats and the essential provider of the technology and services vital to the news business. More than half the world’s population sees AP journalism every day.

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