Amid charred landscape, burned koala finds help - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

ShaniFaye · 02-11-2009, 04:33 PM

I wasnt really sure where to put this, cause I dont really have a discussion point in mind....all my brain says is awwww, make sure to click the link to see the pictures and/or video

Amid charred landscape, burned koala finds help | KOMO News - Seattle, Washington | News

Quote:

SYDNEY (AP) - It was a chance encounter in the charred landscape of Australia's deadly wildfires: A koala sips water from a bottle offered by a firefighter.

David Tree noticed the koala moving gingerly on scorched paws as his fire patrol passed. Clearly in pain, the animal stopped when it saw Tree.

"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 to pick up the koala, nicknamed "Sam" by her rescuers, 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. (Watch video of Tree's encounter with the koala)

Often mistakenly called koala bears because they resemble a child's teddy bear, the marsupial is actually a rather grumpy creature with a loud growl and sharp claws. It rarely comes down from the trees and doesn't like walking.

Koalas are especially vulnerable to wildfires because they move slowly on the ground.

The wildfires cut through parks and forests and sent countless wombats and other native species fleeing. One resident reported seeing kangaroos bouncing down the road with flames at their backs.

The fires also razed farmland, killing or panicking sheep and cattle. Television footage showed cows running down the main street of a smoke-filled town.

Tree said he found the koala in a burned-out forest near Mirboo North, about 90 miles (150 kilometers) east of Melbourne, Victoria's capital.

Koalas normally drink almost no water because they get almost all their fluids from the leaves they eat.

After the scorched koala sipped from the water bottle and Tree's crew moved on, animal welfare officials came by. The photograph of the encounter (above) has now been seen around the world.

Coleen Wood, manager of the Mountain Ash Wildlife Shelter where the koala was taken for treatment of second- and third-degree burns to its paws, said Wednesday that it was expected to make a full recovery.

Wood said there was no doubt the animal was wild, not domesticated, and that it would be released back into nature once a suitable habitat is found - the foliage in Sam's forest was all but destroyed.

"The hardest part is going to be trying to find enough habitat to support these guys," Wood said.

Wood said "Sam" has attracted the attention of a male koala, nicknamed "Bob." The two have been inseparable for the past few days, with Bob keeping a protective watch over his new friend, she said.

More than 180 people were killed in the weekend's fires, and on Wednesday, the scope of the devastation to Australia's wildlife began to emerge with officials estimating millions of animals also perished in the inferno.

"It's just horrific," said Neil Morgan, president of the Statewide Wildlife Rescue Emergency Service in Victoria, the state where the raging fires were still burning. "It's disaster all around for humans and animals as well."

Animal shelters and clinics across the region have been inundated with hundreds of burned and blistered creatures who escaped the fires.

Many of the kangaroos rescuers found were suffering from burned feet, a result of their territorial behavior, one rescuer said. After escaping the initial flames, the creatures - which like to stay in one area - likely circled back to their homes, singeing their feet on the smoldering ground.

Workers at the Mountain Ash Wildlife Shelte were scrambling to salve the wounds of possums, kangaroos, lizards - "everything and anything," Wood said.

"We had a turtle come through that was just about melted - still alive," Wood said. "The whole thing was just fused together - it was just horrendous. It just goes to show how intense (the fire) was in the area."

The animals arriving appear stressed, but generally seem to understand the veterinarians are trying to help them, Wood said. Kangaroos and koalas are widespread in Australia and are not particularly scared of humans.

Wildlife Victoria, a wildlife rescue group, has teams in place at several staging areas near the worst-hit regions, with volunteers seeing a range of injuries from burned lungs and smoke inhalation to singed paws.

Rescuers were just being allowed to venture into the blackened zones Wednesday, and while the scope of the impact on wildlife was still unclear, it was likely to be enormous, Wildlife Victoria president Jon Rowdon said.

"We've got a wallaby joey at the moment that has crispy fried ears because he stuck his head out of his mum's pouch and lost all his whiskers and cooked up his nose," he said. "They're the ones your hearts really go out to."

Rescuers had set up vaporizing tents to help creatures whose lungs were burned by the searing heat and smoke.

"There will probably be a significant number which probably can only be euthanized to end their suffering," Rowdon said. "And my heart goes out to the people who are given that task."

noodle · 02-11-2009, 04:42 PM

Shani, I totally cried at this one.

ShaniFaye · 02-11-2009, 04:44 PM

seeing that video with his little feet bandaged made me tear up too

snowy · 02-11-2009, 05:30 PM

Wow, that is unbelievable. That picture...it's so adorable and heart-wrenching at the same time.

Cynthetiq · 02-11-2009, 06:32 PM

:sniff: Dammit shani! what a tearjerker scene....

Tully Mars · 02-11-2009, 06:44 PM

Wow! What a story. Didn't know all that about Koala's. Guess I just assumed they were nice and cuddly. I must watch too much TV.

Anyone else find it ironic they sent the little guy to Mountain Ash Wildlife Shelter?

Plan9 · 02-11-2009, 07:12 PM

I totally want that koala to attach itself to my chest as my furry security blanket.

02-11-2009, 04:44 PM	#3 (permalink)
ShaniFaye Submit to me, you know you want to Location: Lilburn, Ga	seeing that video with his little feet bandaged made me tear up too __________________ *I want the diabetic plan that comes with rollover carbs. I dont like the unused one expiring at midnite!!*

02-11-2009, 05:30 PM	#4 (permalink)
snowy Kick Ass Kunoichi Location: Oregon	Wow, that is unbelievable. That picture...it's so adorable and heart-wrenching at the same time. __________________ If I am not better, at least I am different. --Jean-Jacques Rousseau

02-11-2009, 06:32 PM	#5 (permalink)
Cynthetiq Tilted Cat Head Administrator Location: Manhattan, NY	:sniff: Dammit shani! what a tearjerker scene.... __________________ I don't care if you are black, white, purple, green, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, hippie, cop, bum, admin, user, English, Irish, French, Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Buddhist, Muslim, indian, cowboy, tall, short, fat, skinny, emo, punk, mod, rocker, straight, gay, lesbian, jock, nerd, geek, Democrat, Republican, Libertarian, Independent, driver, pedestrian, or bicyclist, either you're an asshole or you're not. What's the best nation in the world? DO-NATION!

02-11-2009, 06:44 PM	#6 (permalink)
Tully Mars Living in a Warmer Insanity Super Moderator Location: Yucatan, Mexico	Wow! What a story. Didn't know all that about Koala's. Guess I just assumed they were nice and cuddly. I must watch too much TV. Anyone else find it ironic they sent the little guy to Mountain Ash Wildlife Shelter? __________________ I used to drink to drown my sorrows, but the damned things have learned how to swim- Frida Kahlo Vice President Starkizzer Fan Club Last edited by Tully Mars; 02-11-2009 at 07:21 PM.. Reason: Gotta stop talking while I type.

02-11-2009, 07:12 PM	#7 (permalink)
Plan9 I Confess a Shiver	I totally want that koala to attach itself to my chest as my furry security blanket. __________________ *Whatever you can carry.* "You should not drink... and bake."