The koala seen 'round the world is making a good recovery according to the AP. For those of you who don't know, the koala in question is one "Sam," who was rescued from the worst-ever wildfires in Australia. The photo making the rounds is one of the adorable "Sam" drinking from the firefighter's water bottle when he spotted her in a burned out forest east of Melbourne.
Sam had singed paws and was one of the very lucky animals to survive the devastation. Apparently hundreds of kangaroos were found dead and hundreds more were badly burned in the inferno. Sam has been taken to the Mountain Ash Wildlife Shelter, where she has been befriended by another burn victim, koala Bob.
"Bob is her protector--as soon as she is moved, he's on the move too. It really looks like he's making sure she's OK," said caretaker Lynn Raymond. "They're good company for each other."
Both koalas will probably be at the shelter for some time to give their paws a chance to heal. Their burned paws get salve applied every few hours.
Contrary to the original reports that reported the rescue on Feb. 8, it actually happened a week earlier, three days after the fires broke out. Tree and his crew were dispatched to help contain six fires that had broken out in the Delburn area. He came across Sam and offered his bottle of water, which she eagerly gulped, while holding Tee's hand.
Normally koala bears are not cuddly "teddy bear" like most people believe. The marsupials are characterized as "ornery" with a low growl and sharp claws. "You all right, buddy?" Tree is heard asking in a video of the encounter.
The two were reunited at the shelter last week and Tree was reported to have fought back tears.
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