Dozens of koalas burned in bushfire nursed back to health in couple’s home
Paul and Christeen McLeod are sharing their home on the New South Wales mid-north coast with 24 koalas.
The couple have been running a welfare refuge for injured koalas in Taree since 1993 and due to the intense NSW bushfires, have spent the last few days tending to as many of the marsupials as they can.
With their local community being affected by the bushfires, the McLeods created a makeshift emergency room for their increasing number of furry patients.
Many of the animals have arrived at their operation, Koalas In Care, with severe burns to their bodies, as they now undergo careful treatment by the couple that involves cleaning off soot and applying cream.
In the midst of the Hillville fires, an adult male koala was rescued on Sunday and came to couple in a critical state.
“This poor fellow has been in the thick of it all,” said Ms McLeod.
“He’s severely burnt. His fur’s singed, all of his paws are burnt, his nose is burnt and his ears are burnt.
“At the moment we’ve got him lightly sedated. We’ve tended to his injuries. Now it’s a wait-and-see if he responds to treatment. He’s got a long road in front of him.”
Because of his dusty appearance, they’ve named him Sootie. And it seems he’s slowly recovering, as a day later his appetite was returning as he ate some eucalyptus leaves from his laundry basket.
Another koala named Judy was also rescued from fires at Hillville on Sunday, but despite not suffering from serious burns, she’s dealing with an entirely different challenge.
“She’s been pretty fortunate in that she doesn’t seem to have suffered burns to her feet (but) her fur is singed in various places,” said Ms McLeod,
The koala is dealing with “wet bottom” – an incredibly painful and potentially fatal condition that’s common amongst the marsupials.
“We’ll see how she fares over the coming days undergoing treatment for wet bottom and probably some smoke inhalation.”
Scroll through the gallery to see the koalas in care.