If you've listened to the newsreel in these days you certainly have heard about the exceptional heat wave that have hit some regions of Australia and the terribles bush fires that are one of the consequencies. The heat wave and the blazes have already killed more than one hundred human beings. You can imagine how many Koalas, slow and tightly depending on the trees where they live, have died.
Now I want to focus on three stories with an happy end about koalas that have survived thanks to people that have helped them. Normally Koalas almost never drink water. They get fluids from the eucalyptus leaves they eat. On the other hand in extreme situations like the one of these days, when temperature goes widely over the 40 degrees, they need much more water and they are perfectly able to drink. In the following stories you'll have some nice examples.


Joey, the abandoned baby Koala

Joey is a baby koala that was found some days ago shaking and looking very sick beneath the verandah of Mrs Tracey Young. It was later discovered that he had been deserted by its sick mum and left to roast in the blistering temperatures. Probably his mum had become distressed and disorientated by the heat so she left the baby on its own without even realising. Blisteringly hot conditions forced the baby koala out of its tree, he find relief in the shadow of the verandah where he was eventualy found by the children of Mrs Young. The best part of the story start now as you can see in the pictures taken by Mrs Young:

When she filled a bucket with water the cute creature gets a handle on the it quite shyly


then it realised what it was


and started immediately to drink




and finally, why not, he thought it was the perfect moment for a cool bath!!


and it really seems to like it....




It was taken away for care treatment by a wildlife officer shortly after. Its mother, meanwhile, has returned to their tree and is on the lookout for her baby.


Mr Face-in -the-Sprinkle

the second sory is about a Koala that was found cooling off in Hahndorf, South Australia, in a very funny way:


Oblivious to anything else, the young male koala had eyes only for the sprinkler on a 43-degree day.


Once he was thorougly soaked, the little fella didn't mind a quick dry off with a towel:



Sam, the thirsty Koala

The third story is the most famous because it has been widely covered by many news media.
Sam, as it was nicknamed by its rescuer, Local CFA firefighter David Tree (with that surname he was destined to become friend of a koala!!!), is a Koala that was found injured in the ashes in the area of Mirboo North after deadly fires. The picture of Sam, bewildered and badly burned, drinking water from the bottle offered by Dave has quickly travelled all over the world.




Sam has immediately become a star and a symbol, he was later taken to the house of Mrs Colleen Wood (another incredibly fitting surname!) where it received loving care and its deeply burned hands were treated.