A koala found screwed to a post in south-east Queensland shows signs of head trauma but its cause of death will not be known until late Thursday at the earliest, authorities say.

Crucially, the RSPCA has been unable to definitively say the native animal was dead before it was secured to the gazebo in a Sunshine Coast hinterland park, where it was found on Wednesday.

A council worker told Koala Rescue Queensland he found this koala screwed to the pole in the Sunshine Coast hinterland. Credit:Koala Rescue Queensland

“There’s some injuries there but of course you don't know whether or not that was after the koala was already dead or whether it was still alive,” RPSCA spokesman Michael Beatty said.

Mr Beatty confirmed the RSPCA had taken custody of the body, which would be taken to the organisation’s animal care campus at Wacol for an autopsy to be performed, hopefully on Thursday afternoon.