Nowadays, all we read is bad news. However, we have some good news to announce: a few koalas who were injured during the Australian wildfires in 2019 have been released back into the wild.
The koalas received medical treatment at the world’s only all-koala hospital, which is located in the New South Wales town of Port Macquarie.
One of the most popular koalas of the group is Anwen, a female koala. Her body was 90% covered in burns. Once her pictures of the burns were shared online, they immediately went viral. When she was admitted to the koala hospital back in 2019, she was the 3rd patient.
Anwen is in a good health condition right now. She will be joining other koalas at the Lake Innes Nature Reserve in New South Wales.
The other 25 koalas will also be released in their habitat within the next week. Hospital staff is carefully considering the mix of koala ages and sexes before making a well-rounded community. They have high hopes that the koalas will breed and grow their population in the wild, which is currently on the endangered list. More than 8,000 koalas died in the wildfires.
However, koalas aren’t the only animals that suffered through the disaster. The Lake Innes area was really damaged in the fires. But, thanks to the rainfall, many animals will be released back into their natural habitat sooner than planned.
Australia is facing really hard and uncertain times. However, this story of hope reminds that animals can be really resilient and survive through tough conditions. Like the wildfires weren’t enough, the country has been also impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
There aren’t tourists who want to visit Australia right now, but people still support the country’s efforts to save the koalas and other animals.
If you want to see a virtual tour of Australia, check this online portal which also features custom Zoom backgrounds and a vacation planner.
