The Red List of Threatened Species had already classified the koala as vulnerable, but the species is being threatened even more by devastating bushfires that have already burned more than 2.5 million acres of Australia’s east coast.
But one recent act of bravery has given the country hope in fighting the blaze. After spotting a koala crossing a road amongst the flames in New South Wales, a local woman named Toni rushed to the animal’s aid, wrapping it in her shirt and pouring water over it.
The hero said she was planning to take the injured koala to the nearby Port Macquarie Koala Hospital, a facility that is taking care of up to 15 affected koalas.
Devastating bushfires have already burned more than 2.5 million acres of Australia’s east coast
The koala population have had it particularly bad
As many as 350 koalas are feared to have died from bushfires that ripped through a vital koala habitat in New South Wales
Search and rescue teams are working the area non-stop
So far, they’ve brought at least 31 koalas to the Port Macquarie Koala Hospital to be treated for burns and dehydration
The hospital and a few other organizations created a GoFundMe campaign to purchase automatic drinking stations and install them in the burnt areas to help in koala and wildlife survival
However, since people have already raised over $879,000 (the goal was $25,000), the project is being expanded
Volunteer groups are also taking in koalas found burned and dehydrated after the fires
Koalas are especially vulnerable to the fires because they instinctively climb to the tops of trees, straight into the heat
Even if they survive the fires, they still have to walk across scorched earth when they come down
“This male koala who was so disorientated by the flames and unfortunately was burnt further as he headed back into active fire. He has been called Ellenborough Lewis (after her grandchild). He has been treated and is now in the five star accommodation at the Koala Hospital”, reported the doctors from Koala Hospital Port Macquarie
Twitter is in tears after seeing the woman’s heroic actions
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I just want to say a HUGE thank you to all the men and women helping during this devastating time whether they are fire fighters, other emergency responders, volunteers and even people like the person in the article. Sadly 6 people have died and approx 550 homes have been destroyed. There are still approx 80 fires still blazing in QLD and 54 in NSW. Thirty bushfires including 2 major fires started in my state today too and what makes it worse is we have strong winds predicted over night. So far over 1.7 million hectares have been destroyed and still no sign of an end yet.
This sounds really, really horrible. I sent best wishes from over here. May you all be safe.
Load More Replies...Oh my god. This is just heartbreaking. I won't ever forget his crys... I wonder what happened to the little guy? Kudos to the lady, she's my hero of the day.
He has been treated and is now staying at the Koala Hospital Port Macquarie
Load More Replies...This is the literal definition of giving the shirt off your back to help...kudos to this wonderful person.
Both Australia and Amazon are still burning. Poor animals are suffering. The Earth is in flames over our negligence of its most precious commodity - the Earth itself. 😢
This one is incomplete without the go fund me they mention: https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-thirsty-koalas-devastated-by-recent-fires (there are a lot of gofundmes for koalas = but from this one we can be reasonably sure this is actually going to the cause)
And it's not only for the rescued koalas but for their thirsty little buddies in the wild too. :)
Load More Replies...Poor little koala! It's terrifying, truly terrifying - the poor animals and people caught up in these fires.
From The New Zealand Herald: A brave woman risked life and limb to save a badly burned koala from a bush fire and her amazing heroism has been caught on video. The woman, who gave her name as Toni, rushed in amongst burning trees and scrub to rescue a badly injured koala, tearing off her shirt to wrap up the terrified marsupial. The incident took place near Long Flat in New South Wales and Toni told Nine News she would rush the injured koala to the nearby Port Macquarie Koala Hospital. https://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=12286766
Thank you to the amazing woman who saved this poor this little guy.
Please Boredpanda, post an update about the koala’s condition if possible. Hero lady, Thank u with all my humbleness, i owe u a whole life. Respect, admiration. All the blessings for u, for the little koala, and all the koalas and animals and nature whos suffering this horrible fire.
Geez. With my luck I'll probably come across the Koala on a day I'm NOT wearing a bra. Still wouldn't have fazed me, though. I pray for all the animals every night. This woman is a fantastic. I just want to stop worrying about the animals. I hope the fires end and the animals all get the care they need. 💖
Folks, donate now to the Koala Hospital in Port Macquarie in New South Wales Australia. Help treat these poor souls and help a wonderful VOLUNTEER organisation in their critical work.
We need more humans like this . She didn't think, she didnt stand and tape, she just acted. I know karma will return to this selfless kind heart 10fold. I cannot say the same for camera guy. I wish there were more ppl like her out there searching and rescuing the injured wildlife whose voices cant be heard.
And I'd also like to thank all the firefighters and others who risked their lives trying to save others
Load More Replies...oh dear poor little creature....thanks god he has find that great woman
This woman is my hero--the poor little koala. The fires and the damage that is happening is awful. My heart goes out to everyone affected.
how most people would leave the poor thing to die just to save themselves..... now this woman is a TRUE hero
Update on the koala: https://www.cnn.com/2019/11/21/australia/koala-rescue-australia-intl-hnk-scli/index.html
What is the Earth telling us? We have become the most destructive species on our planet. It is so sad to see how many animals and plants are destroyed. Unfortunately if we are not gonna fight for our planet, we will disappear along with it.
This is the beginning of fire season. And its earlier and more wide spread . Stay safe you all. Evacuate EARLY. Or really know how to survive. Education saves lives>>>>>>>>>https://emergency.vic.gov.au/prepare/#understanding-warnings
Fires have begun this early before. We are currently in an El Niño weather pattern, which traditionally brings drought to south eastern Australia. Usually the affects are felt further South, this time NSW has copped it. When you have drought (which is awful, yet normal), and you add arsonists, it's a recipe for disaster. To make it worse, there is plenty of fuel thanks to the Greens. They stand on their soap boxes, crying coal is to blame, then go home to their city apartment to make more policies that will cause more harm than good. It's unfortunate that so many people can't open their eyes to the truth.
Load More Replies...Everyone else who would do this for a defenseless animal raise your hand, (raises hand).
Hi, thank you to the people doing what they can to save the injured creatures. BUT I don’t know if water should be poured on the burns after the fire has dissipated. I fear that this causes more pain to the injuries. I’m not a doctor but I hope this can be clarified as to minimize any pain to the animal.
I do feel sad for displaced families and their devastated homes during wildfires. That said, its when I see injured or homeless animals THAT makes me start crying.
Beautiful, despite the world's human issues, there are those who show we still have some humanity left! Bravo! Hats and shirts off too you, you are a true superheroin...
"You never know how strong you are, until being strong is the only choice you have." - Bob Markley Thank you Toni, you are an extraordinary human being. You have chosen compassion over apathy. -
The world seems to be burning more and more - deliberate fires in Indonesia and Brazil, others in the US, Australia and so many places, even my home country - and we almost never have big fires in Norhtern Europe. I feel so helpless...
Guys! There’s a link to the koala hospital in the article, you can totally go there and make a small donation if enough of us do it it would be a huge help. And who knows maybe they’ll put an updated out about that guy that’s a hospital he’s being treated at. https://www.facebook.com/koalahospital/?__tn__=kC-R&eid=ARBMVqH1GiGMVp7bZdURnTTtpG0ckhWvQLOS1xS3n69m77dwZZpQrjKEUFBkfdSJ63XP2pszoqnLEKEq&hc_ref=ARTTrWYYQol5M7QguWrvf8PRM9_wKmQc5yEmjTwHarVbq0O-7Up_-rUHfg36acudeTw&__xts__%5B0%5D=68.ARD6Y4WxOL7TOEB_1PFfv1r657Es1c6VV-phu4WEQqt9AkZD9F2RtSKWGrAhqt9_E4R1QXix9ieyrnnhNZHfs6cgpR1_8TrOYXLIW6bdjwdPI_L8Qoxj1NYFKyZI-6xrF3lWupVTljxMVS7-R7nNcvjpMsS7Xe7E34dr4ucmMjEfy2QZw-3yLevJqK1xyLxlKrznk23P4Itty-xsDGjqXLYir8FMHZUe-FGvuTM1zOk8GZtOnKhnadvq6bORpMgjE_CrLOGdvx0gBFjRlfoUf9s3Ot_ScCzNOxXIg6e3bAE-_vMieVsMH8X3n1Zwg8jB4DTLHoIbR4ltC4Gp9NL82XwslGpNFQNsh6-vyGdQBYNtCfEmBVPikFZxHFxrstuXlp_t3h49DxAPiVA2hrgcOeBcVOplKNEUfJYN9rTDPW413mnFJqF5fRH-Owzwl_p6bSSIgA_lEPyKg7MweKhK95n-KmPONS89MhD8kw5kpNMtUV4f9TJDY5AEnRc
Honestly if aliens invaded earth I don’t see why we would be worried about them taking control of earth because it’s already just a hell hike. I would probably just hide my face in shame
Maybe the aliens would take better care of the planet Earth than we are. I don't know what hey do to us, maybe they'd treat us the same way we treat animals.
Load More Replies...Hearing that baby koala cry is heartbreaking. : ( (good thing there's no such thing as "climate change," right?)
OMG. I am in f’ing tears over here, pouring down my face.. The sounds that koala made?!?!!! Just broke my soul... f’ing a brah... Auntie, I f’ing love you for running into that **** and saving that poor baby.. Jesus man.... My eyes are leaking and my nose is running... bless you woman.. Dear god, those cries of pain......
Woman reunited with brave koala she rescued from fire | Nine News Australia https://youtu.be/-IAOWaIbnE4
Here's an update on them both: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-IAOWaIbnE4
Good for hert, really amazing, but my question is where did the camera crew come from suddenly? Instead of filming, they should have been helping, right?
I literally can't stop thinking of the cries of these babies.please help our animals, we are all they have!
Anyone who is not crying for the koalas has no heart. Nor does anyone not thanking God for the blessed humans saving them. Looking back at the fire history in New South Wales and Queensland, these major fires have been occurring for centuries. I could not bear to turn on the sound. Prayers.
The destruction in all the fires all over the world is horrendous! It is a grand thing to make comments about these awful fires but are those who are commenting also making a donation? Even by donating $5.00 wold be a help. Think of all those donations adding up. If you're willing to "pass it along" or "make a comment" think how much more of a statement a small donation would make. These people out there are risking their lives. Can't others make a small donation? Please? Please; it can help with the destruction that has already taken so much and so many who have no voice to speak.
Not all humans are bad, as shown here. This woman is a saint. Thank you beautiful lady for saving this poor baby. Incredibly, here in England if you protest against climate change and pollution, a big bad empty headed policeman will arrest you!
If we here in my country can donate some rainfall to Australia just to put out the wildfire we would want to so that no more trees, plants, animals and humans will be in pain. So sad that in some dry places in the world wildfires really are very devastating hope that rain will start to drop and winds stop spreading the fires further. :-( The poor koalas why do they have to suffer in that way!?
You are MY Hero as well, dear woman. And the koala. May Creator bless you and all sentient beings at the mercy of our ignorance! I would love to send a certain human to the thick of these fires to hear the babies' cries! The reality is he is so heartless he would not be affected! Shame on my country!
Been here before. Kangaroo Island has insane numbers of Koalas in blue gum plantations. One went up in smoke last year and there were hundreds of koalas burned, and wildlife volunteers worked around the clock to find and euthanise them. Because they are not native to our island, they can't justify spending huge amounts on saving them, but most were too far gone anyway and needed to be put down.
It´s coming, can you feel it? It´s in the air, can you feel it in your bones and in your flesh and in your soul? There will be revolution... Enough is enough, it´s our planet too, not just yours to rape and plunder to please the almighty shareholder value. God damn you all.
this is all sad, but your crying and thank you's won't help the problem. greedy corporations continue to savage the planet in their pursuit of profits. think what you can do to help. for example, burn less petrol, switch to electric cars if you can, use plastic as less as you can, don't waste paper, water. go green in other words. make your contribution to the cause. vote for green parties or make your own. just don't watch and cry... please..
It's the Greens who have contributed to the damage. I've commented above if you want more details. I agree that we need to be careful with waste; less plastics, less paper, I'm all for that. However, electric cars will do nothing, where do you think the electricity for those cars comes from? Renewable energy can barely keep up with our consumption now, it will not be enough if we switch to electric cars...coal or nuclear, they're your legitimate options.
Load More Replies...I just want to say a HUGE thank you to all the men and women helping during this devastating time whether they are fire fighters, other emergency responders, volunteers and even people like the person in the article. Sadly 6 people have died and approx 550 homes have been destroyed. There are still approx 80 fires still blazing in QLD and 54 in NSW. Thirty bushfires including 2 major fires started in my state today too and what makes it worse is we have strong winds predicted over night. So far over 1.7 million hectares have been destroyed and still no sign of an end yet.
This sounds really, really horrible. I sent best wishes from over here. May you all be safe.
Load More Replies...Oh my god. This is just heartbreaking. I won't ever forget his crys... I wonder what happened to the little guy? Kudos to the lady, she's my hero of the day.
He has been treated and is now staying at the Koala Hospital Port Macquarie
Load More Replies...This is the literal definition of giving the shirt off your back to help...kudos to this wonderful person.
Both Australia and Amazon are still burning. Poor animals are suffering. The Earth is in flames over our negligence of its most precious commodity - the Earth itself. 😢
This one is incomplete without the go fund me they mention: https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-thirsty-koalas-devastated-by-recent-fires (there are a lot of gofundmes for koalas = but from this one we can be reasonably sure this is actually going to the cause)
And it's not only for the rescued koalas but for their thirsty little buddies in the wild too. :)
Load More Replies...Poor little koala! It's terrifying, truly terrifying - the poor animals and people caught up in these fires.
From The New Zealand Herald: A brave woman risked life and limb to save a badly burned koala from a bush fire and her amazing heroism has been caught on video. The woman, who gave her name as Toni, rushed in amongst burning trees and scrub to rescue a badly injured koala, tearing off her shirt to wrap up the terrified marsupial. The incident took place near Long Flat in New South Wales and Toni told Nine News she would rush the injured koala to the nearby Port Macquarie Koala Hospital. https://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=12286766
Thank you to the amazing woman who saved this poor this little guy.
Please Boredpanda, post an update about the koala’s condition if possible. Hero lady, Thank u with all my humbleness, i owe u a whole life. Respect, admiration. All the blessings for u, for the little koala, and all the koalas and animals and nature whos suffering this horrible fire.
Geez. With my luck I'll probably come across the Koala on a day I'm NOT wearing a bra. Still wouldn't have fazed me, though. I pray for all the animals every night. This woman is a fantastic. I just want to stop worrying about the animals. I hope the fires end and the animals all get the care they need. 💖
Folks, donate now to the Koala Hospital in Port Macquarie in New South Wales Australia. Help treat these poor souls and help a wonderful VOLUNTEER organisation in their critical work.
We need more humans like this . She didn't think, she didnt stand and tape, she just acted. I know karma will return to this selfless kind heart 10fold. I cannot say the same for camera guy. I wish there were more ppl like her out there searching and rescuing the injured wildlife whose voices cant be heard.
And I'd also like to thank all the firefighters and others who risked their lives trying to save others
Load More Replies...oh dear poor little creature....thanks god he has find that great woman
This woman is my hero--the poor little koala. The fires and the damage that is happening is awful. My heart goes out to everyone affected.
how most people would leave the poor thing to die just to save themselves..... now this woman is a TRUE hero
Update on the koala: https://www.cnn.com/2019/11/21/australia/koala-rescue-australia-intl-hnk-scli/index.html
What is the Earth telling us? We have become the most destructive species on our planet. It is so sad to see how many animals and plants are destroyed. Unfortunately if we are not gonna fight for our planet, we will disappear along with it.
This is the beginning of fire season. And its earlier and more wide spread . Stay safe you all. Evacuate EARLY. Or really know how to survive. Education saves lives>>>>>>>>>https://emergency.vic.gov.au/prepare/#understanding-warnings
Fires have begun this early before. We are currently in an El Niño weather pattern, which traditionally brings drought to south eastern Australia. Usually the affects are felt further South, this time NSW has copped it. When you have drought (which is awful, yet normal), and you add arsonists, it's a recipe for disaster. To make it worse, there is plenty of fuel thanks to the Greens. They stand on their soap boxes, crying coal is to blame, then go home to their city apartment to make more policies that will cause more harm than good. It's unfortunate that so many people can't open their eyes to the truth.
Load More Replies...Everyone else who would do this for a defenseless animal raise your hand, (raises hand).
Hi, thank you to the people doing what they can to save the injured creatures. BUT I don’t know if water should be poured on the burns after the fire has dissipated. I fear that this causes more pain to the injuries. I’m not a doctor but I hope this can be clarified as to minimize any pain to the animal.
I do feel sad for displaced families and their devastated homes during wildfires. That said, its when I see injured or homeless animals THAT makes me start crying.
Beautiful, despite the world's human issues, there are those who show we still have some humanity left! Bravo! Hats and shirts off too you, you are a true superheroin...
"You never know how strong you are, until being strong is the only choice you have." - Bob Markley Thank you Toni, you are an extraordinary human being. You have chosen compassion over apathy. -
The world seems to be burning more and more - deliberate fires in Indonesia and Brazil, others in the US, Australia and so many places, even my home country - and we almost never have big fires in Norhtern Europe. I feel so helpless...
Guys! There’s a link to the koala hospital in the article, you can totally go there and make a small donation if enough of us do it it would be a huge help. And who knows maybe they’ll put an updated out about that guy that’s a hospital he’s being treated at. https://www.facebook.com/koalahospital/?__tn__=kC-R&eid=ARBMVqH1GiGMVp7bZdURnTTtpG0ckhWvQLOS1xS3n69m77dwZZpQrjKEUFBkfdSJ63XP2pszoqnLEKEq&hc_ref=ARTTrWYYQol5M7QguWrvf8PRM9_wKmQc5yEmjTwHarVbq0O-7Up_-rUHfg36acudeTw&__xts__%5B0%5D=68.ARD6Y4WxOL7TOEB_1PFfv1r657Es1c6VV-phu4WEQqt9AkZD9F2RtSKWGrAhqt9_E4R1QXix9ieyrnnhNZHfs6cgpR1_8TrOYXLIW6bdjwdPI_L8Qoxj1NYFKyZI-6xrF3lWupVTljxMVS7-R7nNcvjpMsS7Xe7E34dr4ucmMjEfy2QZw-3yLevJqK1xyLxlKrznk23P4Itty-xsDGjqXLYir8FMHZUe-FGvuTM1zOk8GZtOnKhnadvq6bORpMgjE_CrLOGdvx0gBFjRlfoUf9s3Ot_ScCzNOxXIg6e3bAE-_vMieVsMH8X3n1Zwg8jB4DTLHoIbR4ltC4Gp9NL82XwslGpNFQNsh6-vyGdQBYNtCfEmBVPikFZxHFxrstuXlp_t3h49DxAPiVA2hrgcOeBcVOplKNEUfJYN9rTDPW413mnFJqF5fRH-Owzwl_p6bSSIgA_lEPyKg7MweKhK95n-KmPONS89MhD8kw5kpNMtUV4f9TJDY5AEnRc
Honestly if aliens invaded earth I don’t see why we would be worried about them taking control of earth because it’s already just a hell hike. I would probably just hide my face in shame
Maybe the aliens would take better care of the planet Earth than we are. I don't know what hey do to us, maybe they'd treat us the same way we treat animals.
Load More Replies...Hearing that baby koala cry is heartbreaking. : ( (good thing there's no such thing as "climate change," right?)
OMG. I am in f’ing tears over here, pouring down my face.. The sounds that koala made?!?!!! Just broke my soul... f’ing a brah... Auntie, I f’ing love you for running into that **** and saving that poor baby.. Jesus man.... My eyes are leaking and my nose is running... bless you woman.. Dear god, those cries of pain......
Woman reunited with brave koala she rescued from fire | Nine News Australia https://youtu.be/-IAOWaIbnE4
Here's an update on them both: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-IAOWaIbnE4
Good for hert, really amazing, but my question is where did the camera crew come from suddenly? Instead of filming, they should have been helping, right?
I literally can't stop thinking of the cries of these babies.please help our animals, we are all they have!
Anyone who is not crying for the koalas has no heart. Nor does anyone not thanking God for the blessed humans saving them. Looking back at the fire history in New South Wales and Queensland, these major fires have been occurring for centuries. I could not bear to turn on the sound. Prayers.
The destruction in all the fires all over the world is horrendous! It is a grand thing to make comments about these awful fires but are those who are commenting also making a donation? Even by donating $5.00 wold be a help. Think of all those donations adding up. If you're willing to "pass it along" or "make a comment" think how much more of a statement a small donation would make. These people out there are risking their lives. Can't others make a small donation? Please? Please; it can help with the destruction that has already taken so much and so many who have no voice to speak.
Not all humans are bad, as shown here. This woman is a saint. Thank you beautiful lady for saving this poor baby. Incredibly, here in England if you protest against climate change and pollution, a big bad empty headed policeman will arrest you!
If we here in my country can donate some rainfall to Australia just to put out the wildfire we would want to so that no more trees, plants, animals and humans will be in pain. So sad that in some dry places in the world wildfires really are very devastating hope that rain will start to drop and winds stop spreading the fires further. :-( The poor koalas why do they have to suffer in that way!?
You are MY Hero as well, dear woman. And the koala. May Creator bless you and all sentient beings at the mercy of our ignorance! I would love to send a certain human to the thick of these fires to hear the babies' cries! The reality is he is so heartless he would not be affected! Shame on my country!
Been here before. Kangaroo Island has insane numbers of Koalas in blue gum plantations. One went up in smoke last year and there were hundreds of koalas burned, and wildlife volunteers worked around the clock to find and euthanise them. Because they are not native to our island, they can't justify spending huge amounts on saving them, but most were too far gone anyway and needed to be put down.
It´s coming, can you feel it? It´s in the air, can you feel it in your bones and in your flesh and in your soul? There will be revolution... Enough is enough, it´s our planet too, not just yours to rape and plunder to please the almighty shareholder value. God damn you all.
this is all sad, but your crying and thank you's won't help the problem. greedy corporations continue to savage the planet in their pursuit of profits. think what you can do to help. for example, burn less petrol, switch to electric cars if you can, use plastic as less as you can, don't waste paper, water. go green in other words. make your contribution to the cause. vote for green parties or make your own. just don't watch and cry... please..
It's the Greens who have contributed to the damage. I've commented above if you want more details. I agree that we need to be careful with waste; less plastics, less paper, I'm all for that. However, electric cars will do nothing, where do you think the electricity for those cars comes from? Renewable energy can barely keep up with our consumption now, it will not be enough if we switch to electric cars...coal or nuclear, they're your legitimate options.
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