As South Australia faces the worst bushfires in 30 years leaving 26 homes destroyed, many facing loss of their livelihood and thousands of hectares of farm and bushland burnt, a simple video of a koala drinking has provided a small symbol of hope and life to a devastated community.
It’s the same symbol that time and time again we have turned to as our national landscape is destroyed by fire, and time and time again we rallied together to put back the pieces.
An Adelaide woman named Kerry uploaded a video of a koala desperate for a drink to her Facebook page.
She wrote “Came home to find a very hot and thirsty koala right in our front yard! Im going to remember this forever. He drank for 15mins straight before looking much better and climbing a tree.”
The video which has been viewed over 450,000 times shows Kerry pouring a plastic jug of water straight into the koala’s mouth. The delighted but parched animal drinks and drinks.
“When we first got home he was lying on the hot concrete trying to get shade behind the wheelie bins.” She says
She goes on to pour water over his furry head.
Top Comments
The terrible truth is that even with assistance many animals will die. The koala that became the symbol of hope in the last big bushfire we had in Australia didn't make it. I really hope this one does!
You're right Sam did die but not from injuries from the bushfire. She died from Chlamydia which is just another reason why we Aussies should get behind the Koala Foundation and support their efforts to raise funds for more research to save our beautiful little wonders of the bush. I have worked with koalas and they are just gorgeous little creatures and they desperately need our help or in the not too distant future they will only be found in captivity. .
The Black Saturday koala is preserved at Melbourne Museum. He died from bushfire- unrelated illness.