Animals
After Critically Burning All 4 of His Paws, Injured Koala is Finally Safe
Billy—an injured koala found clinging to a tree in Adelaide, Australia—was saved just in time!
(TMU) — Surrounded by the destruction of Australia’s massive bushfires, Billy was found clinging to a tree in a backyard in Adelaide Hills, South Australia. He gave a loud cry when his rescuers pulled him from the tree, but he must have been overcome with relief more than anything else as he settled down straight away and snuggled in his carrier.
Lucy and Adam Francis work with 1300Koalaz to help rescue and rehabilitate injured koalas. They’ve experienced the pain and suffering of many koalas up close and personal since September 2019 as the wildfires raged across Australia affecting an estimated billion animals. Billy made it to safety in the nick of time but suffered severe burns on all four of his paws. He was rushed to a vet where he was assessed and his wounds bandaged before being taken to his new home where he will rest and heal.
Lucy explained:
“As his paws were all bandaged he was unable to climb or be in the normal kind of enclosure that we use for koalas in care, so we had to think outside of the box and we made a makeshift enclosure for him in our kitchen so we could be close to him always. We used a camping mattress for him to sit on, and placed a pillow behind him for him to lean back in as it was difficult for him to sit in a normal koala position. He was clearly in shock, frightened and covered in soot and ash from the fire.”
Lucy and Adam worried that taking care of Billy might be a struggle since he was quite a big boy and seemed depressed when he first arrived. To their surprise, Billy turned out to be one of the sweetest and most gentle koalas they had ever met.
“When Billy first came to us and might have bitten my husband’s hand had he been a different-tempered koala, he sniffed it and licked it gently instead. We have a very close relationship with him and he lets us handle him as we need to and clearly trusts us, despite still being very much a wild koala.”
The couple gained his trust by talking to him quietly and stroking his fur softly when they needed to move him or give him medicine. He handled it well and seemed to understand that he was in good hands from the moment he was rescued. Regardless of the pain, Billy trusted his rescuers completely.
“His personality is so gentle and calm, even when we have to rub cream into his blisters and burns, or administer his vitamin mixture—which we’re really sure he hates—it’s like giving a very furry, reluctant child their medicine. He holds our hands with his back paws when we apply cream to his coccyx burn.”
Billy was extremely weak when he was rescued and could not even feed himself. The inured koala was fed extra food and vitamins to help him heal and is getting stronger by the day. Lucy and Adam can see him becoming happier as his health improves.
Billy won’t be ready for release back into the wild for a while, but at the moment he is happy and relaxed to be in a safe place with his friends.
“We can’t wait to see him fully recover, and release him in a big beautiful gum tree one day—although he will leave a very big Billy-shaped hole in our home and in our hearts.“
If you’d like to help other koalas in distress you can donate to 1300Koalaz. Those wishing to help the many other animals injured and displaced during the devastating fires can donate to WIRES, a wildlife emergency fund.
By Jade Small | Creative Commons | TheMindUnleashed.com
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