'Sootie' the Burned Koala Munches on Leaves After Surviving Bushfire
A koala left badly injured in the New South Wales fires was beginning the long road to recovery on November 11.
Koalas In Care Inc is a non-profit organisation and registered charity run by Christeen and Paul McLeod.
‘Sootie’ is one of 26 koalas – both adult and juvenile animals – currently being treated in a makeshift burns unit at the home in Taree.
In a Facebook post on November 10, the charity posted a video of Sootie and wrote, “Adult male has been in a very hot area. 4 paws burnt, fur scorched, nose burnt, ears scorched. In shock and being treated for injuries.”
The following day, the charity posted a second video showing the koala eating leaves.
“Lovely to see him wanting to eat, at this stage. Long way to go, but encouraging signs,” Sootie’s carer is heard saying.
Paul McLeod told Storyful, "We are in overload at the moment. The fire situation is far from over and our township of Taree is in lockdown with the Rural Fire Service taking emergency control.
“We would normally have a network of contacts who would get these animals to us but conditions are too dangerous at the moment, so we are relying on the public to notify us of animals in need.
“We have been running for 27 years and get no government funding. We rely on public donations and our own fundraising to provide the necessary treatment and medications for our koala patients.”
New South Wales battled ”catastrophic” fire conditions on November 12 with a state of emergency declared for large portions of the east coast. There were 55 fires burning across the state with half yet to be contained and nine burning at a ‘watch and act’ level. Credit: Koalas In Care via Storyful
