GRAPHIC IMAGE WARNING

RSPCA officers will try to determine whether a koala was dead or alive when it was screwed to a pole north of Brisbane.

Koala Rescue Queensland responded to a report of a koala climbing a wooden gazebo but on closer inspection, the koala was found dead and screwed in place at Brooloo Park Lookout, near Gympie on Wednesday.

RSPCA Queensland spokesman Michael Beatty said they are working to retrieve the body from Gympie Regional Council, whose officers took the animal down.

"Koalas are in enough danger from habitat destruction to dog attacks - who in their right mind would do this," Mr Beatty told AAP.

The act left wildlife rescuers feeling sick to the stomach.

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

He said the attack on a "vulnerable" and "innocent" animal showed no respect for Australian wildlife.

The rescue team was headed to the park on Thursday to conduct tests and determine if the male koala was dead or alive when it was placed there.

Unfortunately, the incident is not a one-off with the team often faced with distressing acts such as koalas being shot or beheaded.

Fellow team member Ray Chambers said there was a need for stronger penalties for animal cruelty to stop this "horrid" behaviour.

"The whole thing is just wrong," he said.

"We want answers."