Death of Koala Rescued from Australian Fire Breaks Hearts

The animal could not recover from its burns.

A koala that drew worldwide attention after a video of its rescue from a wildfire in Australia appeared online has died. It could not recover from its burns. This was reported by the BBC.

Last week, a male koala named Lewis was taken to a veterinary clinic after a woman pulled the animal from a tree in a burning forest in the state of New South Wales. The rescue video, in which Tony Dougherty uses a shirt to wrap the koala, has been watched by people around the world.

In the video, Tony pours water on the shocked animal, trying to cool it down. She told local media that she was driving past the burning forest when she noticed the koala among the flames and heard its cries. The woman said: “I didn't know they could scream like that. It was so heartbreaking, and I knew I had to get her out of there as soon as possible”.

The 14-year-old koala had severe burns on its chest, feet and other parts of its body. Veterinarians said they were forced to euthanize the animal because its burns were not healing.

The hospital was able to treat dozens of other koalas injured during the fires, which destroyed more than a million hectares of forest in New South Wales. The fires are continuing, and officials warn that the worst season in Australia is still ahead.

In late October, the deaths of hundreds of koalas due to bushfires in Australia became known. Recently, it became known that the fires have also led to a rising death toll among people.