You've all undoubtedly heard about the terrible fires in Victoria State, Austraila. In addition to over 180 people killed by the flames, probably many more hundreds of animals have also died. Here is a poignant shot of one that did survive. I hope he makes it in the days and weeks ahead...
The koala moved gingerly on scorched paws, crossing the blackened landscape as the fire patrol passed. Clearly in pain, the animal stopped when it saw firefighter David Tree following behind. 'It was amazing, he turned around, sat on his bum and sort of looked at me with (a look) like, put me out of my misery,' Tree told The Associated Press on Tuesday. 'I yelled out for a bottle of water. I unscrewed the bottle, tipped it up on his lips and he just took it naturally. He kept reaching for the bottle, almost like a baby.' The team called animal welfare officers as it resumed its patrols on Sunday, the day after deadly firestorms swept southern Victoria state. 'I love nature, and I've handled koalas before. They're not the friendliest things, but I wanted to help him,' Tree said.
4 comments:
I've heard that about koalas, which makes this amazing and wonderful. I just love this photo. The fire is heartbreaking.
Yeah, it's a horrible thing. I actually work closely with an Australian and she's pretty concerned about it all.
PCJL
That pic hit the front page of at least two newspapers here (in South Africa). We know bad fires all too well, having just had some pretty bad ones recently.
It is so sad, both for the lost people and animals.
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