Item #: SCP-3431

Object Class: Euclid

Special Containment Procedures: The Foundation is to maintain an official record of all major zoos, wildlife hospitals, and animal sanctuaries that are responsible for the care of five or more adult koalas. These locations and organizations are to be visited yearly; employees and volunteers are to be interviewed regarding any observed manifestations of SCP-3431. All personnel regularly involved with caring for koalas are to be told to never take any food offered by koalas, and to remind guests to do the same.

A disinformation team assigned to the SCP-3431 case is to regularly disseminate fictional news stories and sensationalized blog content regarding the occurrence of koalas pilfering various objects from civilian visitors. Any security footage containing evidence of SCP-3431 is to be seized and edited to remove any sign of anomalous activity.

Special care must be taken when handling personal belongings affected by SCP-3431, which may become contaminated with harmful bacteria. The current procedure recommended to non-Foundation animal handlers who encounter SCP-3431 is to sterilize all objects introduced to the koala enclosure. Afterward, it is recommended that the organization offer a free STD screening to impacted civilians at a local clinic if possible.

Description: SCP-3431 refers to an anomalous phenomenon affecting enclosures housing adult koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus). The anomalous activity follows a set series of events, which proceed as follows:

The phrase “refuse koala” (in English) appears written somewhere within the enclosure, typically carved into the wood of a tree or enclosure wall.

Any visitors or animal handlers who are near enough to the enclosure to interact with the koalas are offered a single eucalyptus leaf by one of the koalas.

Upon an individual accepting the leaf from the koala, all of the loose personal belongings currently in their possession (including accessories, technological devices, foodstuffs, small carrying bags, and in some cases, articles of clothing) will disappear from their person and reappear within the koala’s enclosure.1

The leaf taken by the human will rapidly age, becoming discolored and brittle.

It is noted that refusing to take the leaf from the koala will prevent SCP-3431’s anomaly from progressing further.

Attempts to mitigate SCP-3431 by removing or scratching out the 'refuse koala' carvings have proven unsuccessful, as the words will reappear within a month’s time, elsewhere in the same koala housing location. Of note, on ██-██-██ , Foundation agents on a routine visit to the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary in Queensland, Australia noticed the following message carved into several of the eucalyptus trees present in the enclosure:

idiots theyre diseased little thieves stop feeding them

Samples taken from the trees indicated an unusually high chlorophyll concentration, but otherwise no irregularities. A Foundation agent has been temporarily stationed at the Sanctuary to monitor for further anomalous behavior.

Footnotes

1. These items can be safely recovered from enclosures without inciting aggression from the koalas.