'From Heartbreak Comes Hope': Koala Rescuers Share Moving Recovery Stories
The baby koala named Maryanne lost her mother and a claw, and suffered severe burns on the pads on her feet when Australia’s wildfires destroyed her southeast Queensland habitat.
Peter Luker, a volunteer firefighter and animal caretaker with the Ipswich Koala Protection Society, has seen horrific things this fire season ― but currently has the pleasure of watching little Maryanne make a full recovery.
Related...
Australian Zoo Staff Save Koalas, Beat Back Alligators In Dramatic Flash Floods Video
Australian Parliament Rejects 'Lewis The Koala' Statue Honoring Fire Victim
Gripping Images Show Mourning Koala Beside Dead Companion In Australia Bushfires
Bindi Irwin Shares Update On Bushfire-Affected Koala Who Is 'On Road To Recovery'
In early December, a frustrated Luker shared a graphic photo of a charred koala he’d come across as he helped fight the Wivenhoe Pocket fire to demonstrate the horrors of this fire season. The heartbreaking post went viral and was liked and shared tens of thousands of times.
In the new year, Luker is sharing a more positive story from that same blaze. He and his partner, Trudi Timbs, took on Maryanne after she suffered her injuries a week before Christmas, most likely from walking over hot coals or climbing a burning tree.
“It’s like having the palms of your hands burnt off; she would have been in incredible pain,” Luker said.
After first receiving emergency treatment at the RSPCA Queensland Wildlife Hospital, the little joey is on the mend in the care of Luker and Timbs ― and delighting those who have the pleasure of meeting her.
She’ll stay with her caretakers until she’s gained more weight, and after some time in...
