A badly-burnt koala was rescued by a brave passerby as it crawled through a wildfire in Australia on 19 November. The koala named Lewis is facing a long recovery.
Lewis' rescuer Toni Doherty gave him water and wrapped him in a blanket after finding the injured koala in the Wauchope, New South Wales, Australia.
The 14-year-old koala was taken to nearby Koala Hospital Port Macquarie for treatment due to severe burns on its feet, chest and stomach, according to local media. His injuries are so severe that he may not be allowed back in the wild.
Hundreds of koalas are believed to have died in wildfires gripping the New South Wales state over the past two weeks.
“Well, it’s just seeing a defenceless animal going straight into the fire, I knew if we didn’t get him down from the tree then he would’ve been up there amongst the flames. So, just immediately thought just get to him, put the fire out and as soon as I caught him, I realised we had some water in the car and yeah, just natural instinct.”Toni Doherty, Koala Rescuer
Meanwhile, several wildfires continue to be out of control in the South Australia state with catastrophic weather conditions prompting fire officials to issue emergency warnings.
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