Staff at the Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital let Phantom, a six-month-old koala joey, cling to his mother during her recent operation for a collapsed lung, according to The Courier-Mail and Facebook.

After being hit by a car on a highway west of Brisbane, Phantom and his mother, Lizzy, were taken to the animal hospital in Beerwah, Queensland. While Phantom wasn’t injured, Lizzy suffered a collapsed lung.

A Facebook post from the Australia Zoo shows how Phantom wouldn’t leave his mother during the operation, wrapping his little arms around her neck.

Lizzy is now on antibiotics and expected to recover. She is still getting much love from the six-month-old Phantom, who is too young to leave her side.

The Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital opened in March 2004 in honor of the late wildlife care pioneer Lyn Irwin, mother of renowned wildlife expert Steve Irwin who died in 2006 after being stabbed by a stingray during a TV shoot.

The hospital sees about 70 koalas monthly, and treatment costs can be as high as 5,000 Australian dollars (about US $3,900).

The hospital said it receives up to 100 wildlife emergency calls daily and admits up to 30 different species each day. Most are injured in car accidents or in attacks by domesticated animals.

The Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital has treated more than 58,000 native Australian wildlife patients to date, Phantom and Lizzy are just two who have been given a second chance.

To help continue this important work saving wildlife, visit www.wildlifewarriors.org.au