The brand new "Bushfire Heroes" figure was created for two major reasons- honoring those heroic firefighters fighting against the devastating bushfires in Australia but also as part of a fundraiser campaign. Pre-orders for the figurine are now open, with delivery expected in June. What a cute figurine and an awesome initiative!
koala
Owen Colley is a six-year-old boy from Massachusetts who, according to his parents: "Was upset by the Australian bushfires so we wanted to provide an outlet for him to feel like he could do something to help. He's a huge animal lover and has been making clay characters for a while so together we thought out the clay koalas and offered it to friends and family as a "thank you" for donations for bushfire affected animals. Then his gran shared it with the local paper, so here we are...
Owen and his parents created a page on GoFundMe called "Owen's Australian Creature Rescue" through which they have raised more than 277,000$ so far.
Well done, Owen!
Meet the goodest boy we know of right now -- Bear!
Bear is a koala detection dog. That is his job. And since the fires started raging in Australia this past September, Bear has been hard at work scouring the Earth for koalas.
Bear is a blue-eyed border collie/koolie mix who works with the University of Sunshine Coast (USC) Detection Dogs for Conservation. Bears job is to sniff out sick, orphaned and injured koalas across New South Wales and Queensland (both of which had taken on the fires rampage the hardest).
According to the USC site, Bear was rescued from a shelter and has an endless supply of energy, an obsessive nature, and is completely uninterested in humans -- which turns out doesn't make for a great pet, but they're the exact qualities he needs to locate and track koalas. (Sometimes he looks for other marsupials, like the endangered Northern quoll.)
USC Detection Dogs for Conservation Senior Research Dr. Celine Frere said in a news release, "Bear is highly focused and brilliant at focusing on one thing – his ball which is his reward, which makes him perfectly suited for the job. He also has zero prey drive which is essential for a wildlife detection dog as they need to focus purely on the scent and not the animal, ultimately ignoring the animal."
Bear was trained by USC academic and also works in partnership with the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW).
Story via Mother Nature Network
A water tanker driver in the fires zone in Australia got an unexpected cab mate who he called: "Ray of sunshine after nightmare"
Story via: Sydney Morning Herald
Via DW News
After the devastating fire that rampaged Australia, The Rescue Collective, a Brisbane-based wildlife charity, described the situation as "a wildlife apocalypse."
Sadly, it is feared that thousands of Koalas have died in the blaze, and others from injures caused by the blaze.
But the people of Australia are doing their best to save the endangered koalas to the best of their efforts.
In this video, you witness cyclists who have stopped in their tracks to give a parched koala some much-needed water. After giving water from seven bottles to the animal, the group cycled home thirsty in 40 degree heat.
A little bit of kindness goes a long way. We're thankful for those who are doing what they can to help these defenseless creatures and hope it inspires others to do good in their neighborhoods, as well!
Story via DW News
Here are some of the cutest koala memes that ever roamed the earth.
Once you see this koala paws, you can't unsee them...
People on Twitter are freaking out and sending dog paws photos after @41Strange shared the revelation that they form the shape of a koala.
Twitter is in tears after a video of a woman rescuing a badly burnt and wailing koala from a bushfire went viral. The koala was spotted crossing a road amongst the flames when a local woman, who told Nine News her name was Toni, rushed to the koala's aid, wrapping the animal in her shirt and pouring water over it. Toni then transported the injured koala to the nearby Port Macquarie Koala Hospital, a facility that is treating up to 15 affected koalas.
Aww. Let's try that again — Awwwwww.
At 150 days old and less than 500 grams, This tiny orphaned koala looks breathtakingly small. Actually, she should have still been in her mother's pouch but she was brought to Werribee Open Range Zoo by a wildlife carer three weeks ago after she fell from a tree in a Blue-gum plantation area. Sadly, her mom didn't survive and an external veterinarian had already made the difficult decision to euthanize her.
According to National Geographic, female koalas carry their offspring inside their pouches for up to six months, but because of the unfortunate circumstances, this female joey does not have that privilege.
The baby koala is now recovering well but will it will take a year of careful monitoring before hopefully being returned to the wild.
Story via: Metro
Via Ozzy Man Reviews
Ozzy Man Reviews with his own interpretation of why This Koala was in Tim Whitrow's car.
There was a problem rendering this video - it may have been deleted.
Via Koalas.Lover
Only in Australia could this feel-good story happen. A golden retriever named Asha is being hailed as a hero after comforting a lost baby koala through the night. Via: CBS News
Via Koalafication
Apparently Koalas Can throw a tantrum too! This poor little Koala is trying to stake out it's own territory when it is kicked out of the tree by a big bully.
The Symbio Wildlife Park Zoo in Sydney, Australia shared this amusing video of their super chill koala, Harry, enjoying some tummy rubs while relaxing in the lap of zookeeper, Tami.
