Recently, a woman named Fiona and her husband were walking along a river in Victoria, Australia, crossing underneath a bridge, when they noticed someone clinging to a dead tree branch poking out from the rushing water.
The couple peered over the railing
lining the path and looked closer. They realized the ball of fluff was a koala, and she needed help. They contacted Shelly Burrowes of Hamilton Wildlife Shelter, who raced to the scene with her rescue partner, Kelly.
Burrowes suspected the koala had either tumbled into the river while taking a drink or fallen from a tree branch up above. Whatever the case, she was now soaking wet, trembling and unable to move.
Kelly carefully navigated the freezing river. She attempted to pluck the koala from the tree using a net, but the animal wouldn’t budge. With a bit of coaxing, she convinced the koala to climb lower in the tree. When the animal finally fell into the water, Burrowes was ready with a net, quickly scooping her out of the river into a crate.
Safe at last, the fuzzy animal nervously took in her surroundings.
“[She] was pretty exhausted,” Burrowes told The Dodo. “She was also a bit bewildered, but calm.”
Kelly brought the koala to Whigadn Wildlife Shelter, where animal experts assessed her for injuries. As they examined the koala, shelter staff noticed a little baby huddled inside her pouch. Kelly and Burowes hadn’t saved one animal — they’d saved two.
Today, the mama and joey are still at the wildlife shelter, slowly regaining their health. Rescuers will continue to monitor the little family, making sure they have everything they need to be happy. Eventually, once the koalas are ready, they’ll return to their home in the wild.
Burrowes is so glad Fiona and her husband did the right thing by calling for help. According to Burrowes, reporting unusual animal behavior is the first step in saving a life.
Certainly, in the case of these koalas, one good deed made all the difference.
