Koala rescued from raging bushfire by woman in viral video tragically succumbs to burn injuries days later
Lewis the koala has tragically passed away after being rescued from the Australian bushfires by a kind grandmother. Grandmother-of-seven Toni Doherty witnessed how the poor animal was caught in the raging bushfires of Port Macquarie last week before she literally took the shirt off her back in order to save him.
Toni risked her life as she used her shirt to wrap up the terrified koala, who was trapped in the flames as he tried to cross a road. In order to cool off his burnt skin and quench his thirst, the grandma used a water bottle she was carrying to his aid.
Lewis' rescue was captured in a dramatic video, and the heartwarming footage caused many observers to break into tears. The embattled animal was immediately rushed to the nearby Port Macquarie Koala Hospital, a specialist facility that is treating a number of koalas for their wounds.
At the hospital, Toni was able to reunite with the injured animal as he was treated for burns to his hands, feet, arms, as well as the inside of his legs. As soon as she arrived at the facility, the staff called her a "legend" for the selfless rescue.
But the road to Lewis' recovery was never meant to be easy. The tiny koala had to be fed one leaf at a time due to the pain from his injuries.
The hospital issued an update on Lewis' health on November 24, saying they were "uncertain of his future" and describing his prognosis as "guarded".
"If we feel that his injuries and his pain are not treatable and tolerable, we will put him to sleep as this will be the kindest thing to do," they added. However, Lewis tragically passed away on November 26.
The hospital had set up a GoFundMe page to raise funds for Lewis' treatment, writing how he had sustained "significant burns" across his body and that he was under constant supervision by one of their long-term home care volunteers.
The hospital had made it clear that there if the pain and discomfort was "too much", they do not keep koalas alive simply "to save their lives".
"We are all about animal welfare first and foremost," they added. On November 26, the hospital released a statement on Facebook.Today we made the decision to put Ellenborough Lewis to sleep. We placed him under general anesthesia this morning to assess his burns injuries and change the bandages. We recently posted that “burns injuries can get worse before they get better”. In Ellenborough Lewis’s case, the burns did get worse, and unfortunately would not have gotten better. The Koala Hospital’s number one goal is animal welfare, so it was on those grounds that this decision was made.
We thank you for your ongoing support.
The rescue center is currently treating over 30 koalas for burns and other injuries from the raging fires. According to them, not all will survive the ordeal.