Woman Risks Her Own Life To Race Into Wildfire To Save A Koala Fighting For Its Life

Nov 21, 2019 by apost team

A recent story of bravery has come out of the devastation of the Australian wildfires. One courageous woman took it upon herself to save a koala she saw amidst the burning trees by taking it out of the reach of the flames and into safety.

Australia’s east coast is in serious danger as wild bushfires rage across the land. So far, more than 2.5 million acres of land has been burned, which is putting both humans and animals living in the area in serious trouble.

Koalas are especially vulnerable to the fire since they try to escape by climbing to the tops of trees, where they also experience the most heat. It is feared that as many as 350 koalas lost their lives in a major habitat according to Reuters.

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Passerby Toni Doherty was in the area of Port Macquarie when she saw a koala trying to cross the road, its body surrounded by the flames from the bushfires.

"I knew I needed to put something around him as I ran to the tree, so I just took off my shirt and covered him with it. I just tried to get him out of the fire, it was so hot and so frightening," Toni told 9News.

A video shows that she risked her own life of being so close to the flames in order to save the crying creature, but she told the news network that she knew that she just had to get him out as quickly as possible.

Treating koalas is not cheap, and the Port Macquarie Koala Hospital reached out to the world through a recent GoFundMe account. The money gathered was to set up automatic drinking stations that could be placed throughout the burnt areas, giving the animals that are still out in the wild the opportunity to stop for a refreshing drink and provide them with the hydration necessary to survive.

The GoFundMe goal was only $25,000; however, people have far surpassed it with donators having given over $1 million so far. It is so uplifting to see that there are people who care enough about koalas to not only save them out in the midst of the fires but also donate their money to help ensure that they receive water.

Do you have any ideas that would help koalas during this difficult time? Leave your thoughts in the comment section after you have watched this daring rescue attempt.