AP – Local CFA firefighter David Tree shares his water with an injured Australian Koala at Mirboo North
SYDNEY – 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 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.
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.
A count of the animals killed has not been made.
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.
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.
The Royal Society for the Protection of Animals said it was establishing shelters to care for thousands of pets and livestock affected by the fires.
"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 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.
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.
A count of the animals killed has not been made.
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.
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.
The Royal Society for the Protection of Animals said it was establishing shelters to care for thousands of pets and livestock affected by the fires.
AP – Cheyenne Tree treats a Koala nicknamed Sam, saved from the bushfires in Gippsland, at the Mountain Ash …
SYDNEY – "Sam" the koala, the most famous furry survivor of Australia's worst-ever wildfires, is healing well thanks to the efforts of caretakers at a rescue shelter — and she even has a new boyfriend, "Bob."
Sam, who captured hearts around the world after she was photographed drinking from a firefighter's water bottle, has also won the affection of "Bob," another koala whose paws were scorched in the weekend's inferno, caretaker Lynn Raymond said Thursday.
"Bob is her protector — as soon as she is moved, he's on the move, too. It really looks like he's making sure she's OK," Raymond said from the Mountain Ash Wildlife Shelter in Rawson, 100 miles (170 kilometers) east of Melbourne in Victoria state, where the deadly fires continue to burn. "They're good company for each other."
Neither koala is likely to be healthy enough for release for at least four months, and are being comforted by caretakers who salve their scorched paws every few hours.
Global interest in the fate of Sam has been intense since a photograph of firefighter David Tree offering her a bottle of water in a burned-out forest was splashed across the Internet, in newspapers and on television broadcasts. The telephone at the shelter has rung incessantly with callers eager for an update on the creature's condition.
"It's insane," Raymond said with a laugh. "(But) everybody has been absolutely wonderful."
Sam was found moving gingerly on scorched paws by a fire patrol Sunday. Tree crouched down and held out a bottle of water for her to drink, which she eagerly accepted, holding Tree's hand as he poured water into her mouth.
"You all right, buddy?" Tree asks in a video of the encounter as he approaches the koala. Later, as Sam gulps from the bottle, he quips: "How much can a koala bear?"
Often mistakenly called koala bears because they resemble a child's teddy bear, the marsupial is actually a somewhat ornery creature with a loud growl and sharp claws.
Sam, who suffered second- and third-degree burns to her paws, has been sharing a cage with Bob, who took an immediate interest in her when she arrived on Sunday, Raymond said.
Both Sam and Bob were given painkillers when they first arrived, but they're off the drugs now, Raymond said. The two are still receiving antibiotics and have their bandages changed regularly to stave off infections.
The koalas are likely to be in the shelter at least four months, depending on how quickly their burns heal, Raymond said. For now, though, the famously thirsty marsupial appears to be on the mend.
"I'm just looking at Sam now — she is fast asleep," Raymond said. "She's doing very, very well
Some reports have emerged that claim Sam was not in a bushfire affected area when the footage was taken. This is not that case. The famous photographs and footage were taken at Mirboo North near Boolarra where 31 houses were destroyed by bushfire just days before they gripped the rest of the state. SAM the world's most famous koala came face to face with her saviour in gold yesterday, Country Fire Authority volunteer David Tree.Country Fire Authority volunteer David Tree said he had been working around the clock to protect the town when he stumbled across the sticken koala. “The entire town of Mirboo North was under serious threat of bushfires and if we had a wind change the losses would have been huge,'' he said. “We were conducting backburning when I saw her in an area which had been experiencing serious bushfires.'' Mr Tree was close to tears when he was reunited with his new furry friend at the Mountain Ash Wildlife Shelter in Rawson, where Sam is recovering from third degree burns to her paws.
The pair became accidental faces of the devastating bushfires when Mr Tree gave an exhausted Sam a drink from his water bottle in the middle of burnt-out bush in Mirboo North.
The photograph has been picked up by major news agencies around the world.
"Who knows if she recognised me or not but I would like to think so," Mr Tree said.
"I got a bit choked up because it has been such an emotional week. It was just good to see her doing well."
Sam was having her dressing changed by career Colleen Wood when Mr Tree arrived.
He said seeing her in pain hit home the damage that the fires were inflicting on helpless animals.
"You could see where the black soles of her paws had been burnt off and they were pink and looked sore," he said.
"She's been through a lot."
He said animal carer Colleen Wood told him the koala may not have survived if he had not given her water at such a crucial time, because she would have been suffering severe dehydration.
"This has been a really tough week for everyone so it is good to have one happy ending," Mr Tree said.
"She was pretty friendly, she gave me a bit of a sniff and we touched noses."
Meantime, a US gossip website is facing a reader backlash after trying to make fun of firefighter David Tree's rescue of Sam the koala.
In a post about Mr Tree giving his water bottle to the koala he found stumbling through burnt out bushland, TMZ.com wrote: “After battling some of the worst wildfires ever to hit Australia, a firefighter shared his bottled water with a pampered koala on Monday. Afterwards the new friends went to Pilates and dined on sushi.” Many readers hit out at the article, “Koala to Firefighter: I Won't Tap That!”, saying it was an unnecessary and insensitive shot at Victoria’s firefighters and the victims of the fire. Celebrity blogger Perez Hilton showed more tact in dealing with the disaster. In a post titled ‘A worthwhile cause’ he asked his readers to donate to the Red Cross Victorian Bushfire Appeal. Pictures of Sam, who turned out to be female, traveled around the globe and featured in major newspapers including The New York Times, London's The Sun and on CNN. The image provided a much-needed picture of hope in a week filled with news of despair. Yesterday Sam was recovering in Mountain Ash Wildlife Shelter. Carer Jenny Shaw said she suffered burns on her paws and was in a lot of pain, but was on the road to recovery. She was put on an IV drip and is on antibiotics and pain relief treatment. "She is lovely - very docile - and she has already got an admirer. A male koala keeps putting his arms around her," Ms Shaw said. "She will need regular attention and it will be a long road to recovery, but she should be able to be released back into the wild in about five months." Mr Tree said he was surprised by the reaction to the photograph, which was snapped by Mark Pardew - a fellow CFA volunteer - on a mobile phone. Mr Tree said he was in the middle of backburning at Mirboo North when he saw the stricken koala."I could see she had sore feet and was in trouble, so I pulled over the fire truck. She just plonked herself down, as if to say 'I'm beat'," he said. "I offered her a drink and she drank three bottles. "The most amazing part was when she grabbed my hand. I will never forget that." Mr Tree and his brigade then received an emergency call-out to save a house, but minutes later Sam was picked up by wildlife carers. She is one of 22 koalas, 14 ringtail possums, several wallabies and eastern grey kangaroos that have been handed into Gippsland carers
The pair became accidental faces of the devastating bushfires when Mr Tree gave an exhausted Sam a drink from his water bottle in the middle of burnt-out bush in Mirboo North.
The photograph has been picked up by major news agencies around the world.
"Who knows if she recognised me or not but I would like to think so," Mr Tree said.
"I got a bit choked up because it has been such an emotional week. It was just good to see her doing well."
Sam was having her dressing changed by career Colleen Wood when Mr Tree arrived.
He said seeing her in pain hit home the damage that the fires were inflicting on helpless animals.
"You could see where the black soles of her paws had been burnt off and they were pink and looked sore," he said.
"She's been through a lot."
He said animal carer Colleen Wood told him the koala may not have survived if he had not given her water at such a crucial time, because she would have been suffering severe dehydration.
"This has been a really tough week for everyone so it is good to have one happy ending," Mr Tree said.
"She was pretty friendly, she gave me a bit of a sniff and we touched noses."
Meantime, a US gossip website is facing a reader backlash after trying to make fun of firefighter David Tree's rescue of Sam the koala.
In a post about Mr Tree giving his water bottle to the koala he found stumbling through burnt out bushland, TMZ.com wrote: “After battling some of the worst wildfires ever to hit Australia, a firefighter shared his bottled water with a pampered koala on Monday. Afterwards the new friends went to Pilates and dined on sushi.” Many readers hit out at the article, “Koala to Firefighter: I Won't Tap That!”, saying it was an unnecessary and insensitive shot at Victoria’s firefighters and the victims of the fire. Celebrity blogger Perez Hilton showed more tact in dealing with the disaster. In a post titled ‘A worthwhile cause’ he asked his readers to donate to the Red Cross Victorian Bushfire Appeal. Pictures of Sam, who turned out to be female, traveled around the globe and featured in major newspapers including The New York Times, London's The Sun and on CNN. The image provided a much-needed picture of hope in a week filled with news of despair. Yesterday Sam was recovering in Mountain Ash Wildlife Shelter. Carer Jenny Shaw said she suffered burns on her paws and was in a lot of pain, but was on the road to recovery. She was put on an IV drip and is on antibiotics and pain relief treatment. "She is lovely - very docile - and she has already got an admirer. A male koala keeps putting his arms around her," Ms Shaw said. "She will need regular attention and it will be a long road to recovery, but she should be able to be released back into the wild in about five months." Mr Tree said he was surprised by the reaction to the photograph, which was snapped by Mark Pardew - a fellow CFA volunteer - on a mobile phone. Mr Tree said he was in the middle of backburning at Mirboo North when he saw the stricken koala."I could see she had sore feet and was in trouble, so I pulled over the fire truck. She just plonked herself down, as if to say 'I'm beat'," he said. "I offered her a drink and she drank three bottles. "The most amazing part was when she grabbed my hand. I will never forget that." Mr Tree and his brigade then received an emergency call-out to save a house, but minutes later Sam was picked up by wildlife carers. She is one of 22 koalas, 14 ringtail possums, several wallabies and eastern grey kangaroos that have been handed into Gippsland carers
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