The current Australian bushfires are slowly but steadily being brought under control. However, this is by no means over as the fires are still at large and are expected to continue for some time.
Nature has been living in a perpetual state of chaos. Animal fatalities are in the hundreds of millions with many more displaced—far away from their natural habitat and facing many other dangers.
A woman by the name of Pamela Schramm was driving down the road with her family when she stumbled upon one such displaced lonely koala drinking rainwater on the road.
Rainfall came to NSW & so did this little koala which was caught licking water off the road by a driver-by
Image credits: Pamela Schramm
It had recently rained and the thirsty koala was on the road trying to salvage whatever water it could to rehydrate itself after what seemed like ages in the fires. The puddles were so small that it was simply licking the pavement at this point. Still, the koala was so dehydrated that when Schramm attempted to relocate the koala, it was as if it was glued to the road.
At first, Schramm thought the koala was injured. After carefully inspecting the koala, she returned to the car and got in touch with carers. It turned out the animal was all right, especially when Schramm noticed that the koala went off the road and climbed up a tree—a sign of a healthy koala.
The driver made sure it is all right & posted about it online urging people to stay alert on the road
Image credits: Pamela Schramm
After this encounter, Schramm took to Facebook with some footage and a warning to all who are traveling around Australia to keep an eye out for critters on the road. It is already hard on them with the fires taking away their homes, pushing them out of their habitat, and causing immense stress without the danger of becoming roadkill.
This is what she said in her Facebook post: “Please be careful on the roads. Wildlife coming out to drink. It’s heartbreaking to see them stressed. This was on the Moree to Croppa Creek Road.”
Here is a video of the woman’s encounter with the adorable thirsty koala
Image credits: Pamela Schramm
According to Australian roadkill statistics, it is estimated that the average roadkill density is 1 animal every 3 kilometers with over 150,000 animals among common roadkill killed every year. Drivers are advised to flash the car’s headlights and to use the horn to warn animals on the road. If possible, move the animal—whether dead or alive—off the road.
Experts say that the current bushfires are the largest and costliest in Australia’s history, having already damaged nearly 13 million acres of land. That’s a bit more than the size of the entire country of Costa Rica. On top of that, as of this article, it is reported that 21 people were killed in the fires with nearly 2,200 houses burned to the ground, as well as millions upon millions of animals killed and dislocated.
This is how people on the internet reacted…
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