Hospital launch campaign to help koalas amid bushfire crisis – they’ve raised over a MILLION dollars

A koala hospital has raised more than $1million to help animals hurt in bushfires.

The campaign launched by Port Macquarie Koala Hospital aimed to raise money to buy automatic drinking stations for animals living in areas devastated by fires.

The initial fundraising goal was $25,000, but $1.146million has now been raised from more than 25,500 donations.

About 350 have died in the bushfires raging in New South Wales and Queensland.

Port Macquarie Koala Hospital’s Help Thirsty Koalas Devastated by Recent Fires campaign aimed to raise money to purchase and distribute automatic drinking stations in burnt areas (pictured: an injured koala)

The hospital and National Parks and Wildlife Service crew leaders spent weeks searching for koalas in the Port Macquarie area devastated by bushfires.  

To date, 31 koalas had been brought into the hospital from several fire grounds. 

Once admitted, the koala’s are re-hydrated and on the next day, they are examined for burns which are treated with cream before they are bandaged. 

The dressings are changed every three days.  

Witnessing the damage caused by the fires, the hospital wanted to create new drinking stations in affected areas and a water-carrying vehicle to replenish them.  

‘The number of drinking stations being built has now been increased and they will be shared with other wildlife organisations in fire-affected regions across New South Wales,’ the hospital wrote on GoFundMe. 

‘Two are being built for dispatch to the northern rivers fire area next week.’

Donations started to pour in after Toni Doherty (pictured) was recorded running into an out-of-control bushfire in the New South Wales town of Long Flat to save the injured marsupial, named Ellenborough Lewis

Donations started to pour in after Toni Doherty (pictured) was recorded running into an out-of-control bushfire in the New South Wales town of Long Flat to save the injured marsupial, named Ellenborough Lewis

Donations started to pour in after Toni Doherty was recorded running into an out-of-control bushfire in the New South Wales town of Long Flat to save the injured marsupial, named Ellenborough Lewis.

Footage showed the koala, who had patches of fur missing, running close to the fires before Mrs Doherty poured bottles of water onto him and wrapped him up in a blanket.

‘It was vulnerable, all I could think to do was to try and rescue him,’ she told Channel Nine’s Today.

‘We just jumped out and I knew I needed to put something around him as I ran to the tree so I just took off my shirt and covered him with it and tried to get him out of the fire.’

Mrs Doherty said she could feel the heat radiating off Lewis as he screamed in pain.

The initial fundraising goal was $25,000, but a whopping $1.146m has been raised from over 25,500 donations and led to the koala hospital extending the project to establish a wild koala breeding program

The initial fundraising goal was $25,000, but a whopping $1.146m has been raised from over 25,500 donations and led to the koala hospital extending the project to establish a wild koala breeding program

The hospital and National Parks and Wildlife Service crew leaders spent weeks searching for koalas in the Port Macquarie are devastated by bushfires. To date, 31 koalas had been brought into the hospital from several fire grounds

The hospital and National Parks and Wildlife Service crew leaders spent weeks searching for koalas in the Port Macquarie are devastated by bushfires. To date, 31 koalas had been brought into the hospital from several fire grounds

The organisers of the GoFundMe page posted an update on Friday and said they were blown away by the support from the public after their fundraising goal exceeded $1million. 

‘We are overwhelmed and humbled with gratitude for the support and care shown by people from all over the world for our efforts to care for koalas now and to try to ensure that we still have koalas for generations to come,’ the hospital said.   

The extra money will be directed to building a ‘Koala Ark,’ which will allow the surviving koalas to be accommodated in a healthy habitat. 

‘Hopefully, these koalas will breed and a new population of koalas will be established for return to the wild.’ 

They said the ‘generous donations’ will also benefit other wildlife affected in burnt areas. 

‘Your kind donations make a massive difference in helping us to continue to look after these amazing creatures.’ 

The extra money will be directed to building a 'Koala Ark,' which will allow the surviving koalas to be accommodated in a healthy habitat

The extra money will be directed to building a ‘Koala Ark,’ which will allow the surviving koalas to be accommodated in a healthy habitat

As of Thursday, more than 50 fires are burning in NSW with total fire bans in several regions including the Illawarra and Shoalhaven.

About 70 fires are burning across Queensland with no end in sight to the crisis.

Meanwhile, Victoria has a total fire ban in place across the state and has declared Code Red conditions.

Anyone who finds an injured animal is urged to seek immediate action and take them to a vet. 



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