As the annual bushfire season continues to ravage Australia’s east coast, one lucky survivor and his rescuer have caught the world’s attention.
A woman spotted a koala crossing a road heading for the trees, attempting to escape the blaze in the town of Long Flat, New South Wales. The desperate animal’s back legs were burnt from scurrying across the flames. The woman decided in an instant to help by taking the shirt from her own back and lifting the koala to safety.
Toni Doherty used her shirt to lift the scorched, wailing koala from the trunk of a tree before pouring water over his fur to cool the koala’s burned skin. Toni’s heroic rescue was caught on camera; the footage has since gone viral, being shared by media outlets around the globe.
“I just tried to get him out of the fire,” Toni continued, “it was so hot and so frightening.”
Toni described the scorched creature’s cries of pain as “heart-rending,” adding, “I’ve never heard a koala before. I didn’t realize they could cry out [...] I knew I needed to get him out of there as quickly as possible.”
Once the koala was out of immediate danger, the traumatized animal was driven to nearby Port Macquarie Koala Hospital, a specialist facility that has dedicated its service to treating koalas that have been injured in the annual bushfires.
Toni’s charge, lucky to be alive, was named “Lewis” after one of Toni’s grandsons. The pair was later reunited after Lewis received urgent treatment for his burns.
“He has been bandaged and given antibiotics but will take a lot of looking after,” they added, “if he pulls through.”
“Your generous donations have meant that we can now extend the original drinking stations project across a wider area of koala habitat in NSW. This program also benefits other wildlife affected in these areas,” they added.
Additionally, some of the funds will be directed toward building a “koala ark,” a healthy habitat area for any surviving koalas that are not able to be reintroduced into the wild. “Hopefully,” said the hospital, “these koalas will breed and a new population of koalas will be established for return to the wild.”
Toni, alongside Port Macquarie Koala Hospital, continues to hope for a full recovery for Lewis and his fellow injured koalas. “I was so pleased I had something to put over him and to get him out of harm’s way,” Toni said.
“It was a handy top,” she added, speaking of the shirt that helped her save Lewis. “I’ve washed it, it’s back in the wardrobe.”