What Happened to the Koala Trapped in the Flames?

Lewis has long road to recovery ahead of him

This koala has escaped a terrible fate. He was dehydrated and starving. He put his snout in, but he didn’t have his drink. Trapped by the wildfires that have been ravaging Australia since late October 2019, this koala was rescued. But many others weren’t so lucky. According to the government, hundreds of koalas would have perished since the fires began. Wallabies, kangaroos, deer would get out because they can run. But koalas just really can’t. They will go up the tree and just hang on to the tree, and if the heat gets up to them, the flames get up to them, they just get singed.

Koala Hospital at Lake Innes Nature Reserve, around 350 of the 500 to 600 koalas that lived there are estimated to have died according to IUCN. It’s a dramatic loss for this species listed as “vulnerable.” It's a national tragedy because this koala population is so unique. The special importance of those koalas is that they are very genetically diverse. The authorities reported that an “unprecedented” number of bushfires was threatening New South Wales with 90 fires burning across the state. The previous week, a fire had already ravaged 2,000 hectares, an area the size of 2,800 football fields.

Temperatures of around 95°F, droughts and strong winds all created conditions conducive to fire based on data Australian Government & Bureau of Meteorology. 2018 was the 3rd-hottest year ever recorded in Australia. As a veil of smoke covered Sydney, more than 1,000 firefighters and 70 planes were mobilized to try to put a stop to the fires, while veterinary teams continue to treat the wounds of the rescued koalas. Toni Doherty’s courageous effort in saving the badly burned koala, named Lewis, also warmed the hearts of many at the same time. The hospital says Lewis has a long recovery and burns to his feet, chest and stomach are so severe he may not be allowed back in the wild.

Brut.