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Home / World

Watch: Woman risks life to save koala from bush fire

NZ Herald
19 Nov, 2019 10:31 PM2 mins to read

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The heartbreaking video shows the bear wailing. Photo / Nine News

The heartbreaking video shows the bear wailing. Photo / Nine News

A brave woman risked life and limb to save a badly burned koala from a bush fire and her amazing heroism has been caught on video.

The woman, who gave her name as Toni, rushed in amongst burning trees and scrub to rescue a badly injured koala, tearing off her shirt to wrap up the terrified marsupial.

Toni wasted no time in saving the bear.  Photo / Nine News
Toni wasted no time in saving the bear. Photo / Nine News

The video shows the animal letting out plaintive squeals at Toni douses it with cold water.

READ MORE:
• Heartbreaking video of 'singed' koala being rescued after fires
• Another nail in koala's coffin
• 'It's like a cremation': Hundreds of helpless koalas are wiped out as bushfires rage through nature reserve
• Australia rocked by 'lesbian' koala revelation

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The incident took place near Long Flat in New South Wales and Toni told Nine News she would rush the injured koala to the nearby Port Macquarie Koala Hospital.

The koala was trapped by fire. Photo / Nine News
The koala was trapped by fire. Photo / Nine News
The animal was transported to a local koala hospital. Photo / Nine News
The animal was transported to a local koala hospital. Photo / Nine News

A GoFundMe page has been set up to help the Port Macquarie Koala Hospital nurse the koala's impacted by the fires back to health.

The campaign has reached over $800,000 in donations.

"The Port Macquarie Koala Hospital is an animal welfare, scientific research and education facility that will send out and conduct search and rescue exercises in the hope of finding surviving koalas," the page reads.

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The heartbreaking video shows the bear wailing. Photo / Nine News
The heartbreaking video shows the bear wailing. Photo / Nine News

"Any surviving koalas will be brought into the Port Macquarie Koala Hospital for assessment and treatment.

"One way to help surviving koalas and other wildlife is to provide access to water to reduce further deaths from dehydration.

"The Port Macquarie Koala Hospital would like to raise money to purchase and distribute automatic drinking stations which will assist in helping koala and wildlife survival."

Discover more

World

Lewis the koala dies days after dramatic rescue from bushfires

26 Nov 06:21 PM
World

'Functionally extinct': Do dire claims about koalas help or hurt them?

29 Nov 04:00 AM
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