myfortunekitty.com

Amidst the devastation that surrounds the aftermath of the Australia bush fires, a koala has emerged an unofficial mascot of hope for the fire victims.

Sam became the most famous koala in the world when firefighter David Tree stopped to give him a drink.

Video of Sam eagerly drinking water and holding onto Mr Tree’s hand

Pictures of Sam, who turned out to be female, travelled 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 a fellow CFA volunteer on a mobile phone.

He 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.”

Video of Sam reuniting with Mr David Tree

(Parts of article above are extracted from http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au)

Fires are really scary, and such unforeseen disasters are even more difficult to accept.  My heart really goes out to the victims and their families…