Australians Pranked a Scottish Reporter by Telling Her She Could Meet The Legendary ‘Drop Bear’

Scottish Reporter Thought She Was Holding a Dangerous Animal, But Came to Find It Was All Part of an Amusing Hoax

Have you ever met the drop bear?! No?! What a shock! They’re the most dangerous, most notorious koalas. They can be found all across Australia, while locals always do their best to warn people from the wild beast.

The drop bear is a vicious creature, who usually lives on trees. They’re known for their sharp fangs and hunger for meat. Human meat. Once they’ve spotted their prey, the drop bears pounce from the trees, and kill their next meal within seconds. 

Or at least that’s what the Australians tell tourists, to keep them light on their feet; in reality, the drop bear has never existed. The notorious joke has provided Australians the opportunity to have a good laugh and bust tourist’s chops for years now. The prank is in good fun, and most tourists find it quite invigorating.

Even though most people know better than to believe such an obvious hoax, now and then someone falls for the trick, and inevitably gives the Australians involved the time of their lives. This time, it was ITV News’ Asia correspondent Debi Edward, that had no idea such a joke existed.

When Debi arrived at the bushfire-ravaged Kangaroo Island, she talked to the locals and was utterly fooled into thinking she’d be encountering a real drop bear. The local Australians knew this day was going to be hilarious.

Debi’s Cameraman shot the entire humorous rendezvous on video; he wanted to commemorate such an entertaining scene.  

Firstly, Debi was made to wear a ‘drop bear suit’ to shield her from the “terrifying creature.” She was warned that the drop bear is known to attack people and that she’d have to care for her own safety, which made her very worrisome.

Debi also reported that she felt everyone around her was very nervous, which affected her mood as well. 

Secondly, Debi was told that a sniper with a dart gun is ready to shoot in case the situation escalated. At this point, Debi was starting to feel actual fear. 

Suddenly, the Australians asked her if they “could have the koala back.” That’s when she’d finally realized it was all part of a harmless prank. Everyone couldn’t hold themselves any longer and had burst into laughter.

Debi was happy and relieved to find out she was a part of a funny prank. 

Debi told the channel 9 news that she knows she should’ve known it was all a part of a joke, but the local Australians were so convincing that she absolutely fell for it.

The Scottish reporter is a big comedy fan, and she was thrilled to take part in the hoax. She noted that the prank was the only thing that made the locals laugh that day since they were all doing their best to put out the awful fires, that are attacking Australia nowadays. 

Debi stated that if she could have people laugh and cheer up a little because of a joke at her expense, she’d be a satisfied reporter.

The Australians are fighting the fires and are making sure that all the animals are okay. Animals that need more help are moved to shelters equipped with food and water.

The fires attacking Kangaroo Island have already taken two lives, ruined thousands of acres of land, and wiped out more than a million animals so far. Many people have also lost their homes for good.  If you can, try and donate to GoFundMe to help the Kangaroo Island Wildlife Park get back on its feet. They’ve raised more than $1.7 million (£904,400 / US $1.2m) so far, and they keep counting.