But he’s a survivor, released from care on Monday.

“He looked like he had been in a fight,” Hunter Koala Preservation Society carer Julie Jennings said.

Mrs Jennings helped with the rescue from Port Stephens Drive at Taylors Beach. Rocky had retreated to a nearby tree.

To coax him down the rescuers attached a plastic bag to the end of a telescopic pole. It’s a proven strategy; the bag is jostled above the koalas head which causes them to climb down.

“As soon as they’re at our height we grab them,” Mrs Jennings said.

Be warned, this is only for the experts. Nor is it for the faint hearted. That’s where the elbow length, heavy leather welder’s gloves come in to protect against their claws and powerful jaws.

“The gloves are a God send,” Mrs Jennings said.

“Rocky still managed to bite me through the gloves.”

Luckily his injuries weren’t too severe. He sustained a graze to his eye that had to be stitched up.

Like all koalas that come into care he was also microchipped for future reference.

Mrs Jennings is relatively new to all of this. You’d be forgiven for thinking otherwise – but she’s seen a lot in only a few months.

“There’s a lot you learn very quickly as a carer from the types of injuries they sustain, the care they require and the leaf they need,” she said.

“Their claws get frayed a lot – they grip the road and brace for impact.”