"Lewis" the koala,Widow who Fell For Her Son’s Friend’s Stuff She Met On A Matching App (2025) who was brought to international attention by a viral video of him being rescued from Australia's devastating bushfires, has been euthanised.
Port Macquarie Koala Hospital made the sad announcement yesterday on Facebook, stating that they had placed him under general anaesthetic that morning "to assess his burns injuries [sic] and change the bandages."
"We recently posted that 'burns injuries can get worse before they get better'," wrote the hospital. "In Ellenborough Lewis's case, the burns did get worse, and unfortunately would not have gotten better.
"The Koala Hospital's number one goal is animal welfare, so it was on those grounds that this decision was made. We thank you for your ongoing support."
SEE ALSO: Koala hospitals fill with victims as Australia's bushfires rage onNamed for his rescuer Toni Doherty's grandchild, Lewis was found on November 19 in bushland along New South Wales' Oxley Highway, west of Wauchope. Doherty told 9 News two days later that Lewis had left the hospital and was being looked after by a carer, though a hospital spokesperson only gave the koala a 50 percent chance of survival.
Unfortunately it seems his health deteriorated after that, and the hospital was forced to make the difficult decision to put him to sleep. He was 14 years old.
Speaking to Mashable via email, Port Macquarie Koala Hospital's Sue Ashton said the hospital has treated 33 koalas for bushfire-related injuries since the fires began, with three having been euthanised. They believe many more have died without receiving care.
"In the Port Macquarie region we know up to 350 koalas perished in two weeks," said Ashton. "However this is a very conservative number; we think there are a lot more."
"We think the fires have wiped out many wild koala populations with many being incinerated, and burnt to ash. Koalas' gestation is 35 days, and fertile females breed about every 18 months to two years. It will take decades for the wild koala population on the east coast of Australia to recover."
SEE ALSO: Photos show the devastating impact of eastern Australia's bushfiresThis will be made much harder by the omnipresent threat koalas already face from changes in Australia's climate. Speaking to Mashable previously, Currumbin Wildlife Hospital's Dr Michael Pyne said the heat and lack of rain has resulted in less plant life, causing koalas and other native wildlife to die of starvation and dehydration.
"Those that escape the fires, that manage to flee, that manage to move on, they're putting even more strain on an already really struggling habitat that's not sustaining what was there," said Dr Pyne.
Port Macquarie Koala Hospital launched a GoFundMe last October to help address this issue, hoping to raise $25,000 for wildlife drinking stations in burnt out areas. It has now raised almost $1.75 million — 70 times their initial goal.
As a result of this outpouring, the donations will now also finance the establishment of a wild koala breeding program. Ashton states that this program has been brought forward five years, and that they "are hopeful this program ... will rebuild the koala populations decimated by the bushfires."
Australia's bushfires continue to rage across multiple states uncontrolled, and are expected to do so for months. Six people have been confirmed dead and hundreds of homes destroyed, with 2.5 million acres burned in NSW alone.
Prof. Dr. A. I. in Conversation with Tadeusz Dąbrowski by Piotr CzerskiOn Najwan Darwish by Alexia UnderwoodA Very Precious Bonjour Tristesse by Mina TavakoliThe Paris Review – The End of Roadside Attractions by Jane SternMaking of a Poem: Hua Xi on “Toilet” by Hua XiIs Robert Frost Even a Good Poet? by Jessica LaserMaking of a Poem: Nora Fulton on “La ComédieTwo New Movies by The Paris ReviewSpanish Journals by Catherine LaceyOut of Step with the Rest of the World: A Conversation with Zheng Zhi by Owen ParkA Pretty Girl, a Novel with Voices, and RingJames Baldwin in Istanbul by Osman Can YerebakanAnnouncing the 2025 George Plimpton and Susannah Hunnewell Prizewinners by The Paris ReviewThe Living Death Drug by Lisa CarverA Sex Memoir by Edmund WhiteRouen’s Municipal Library, 1959–1964 (or, The Formative Years) by Annie ErnauxA Certain Kind of Romantic by Edward HirschCruising at the LA Fitness by Danez SmithGlimmer: In Siena by Cynthia ZarinProf. Dr. A. I. in Conversation with Tadeusz Dąbrowski by Piotr Czerski Brilliant New York Post cover perfectly sums up Trump's White House Researchers perform first gene editing of viable human embryos in U.S. Transgender comedian speaks out about Trump's ban on 'The Tonight Show' Lenovo's ThinkPad X1 Fold is finally ready to pre Hulu's 'Monsterland' is a twisted tale of inner demons: Review Facebook, Twitter, and Google CEOs set for Oct. 28 Senate hearing J.K. Rowling only needed 3 tweets to turn the tables on these trolls Here's the Canadian military's response to Trump's trans military ban How 'Host' director Rob Savage went from viral tweet to 3 President Trump appears to encourage police violence during speech What to expect at Google's 'Launch Night In' 2020 hardware event iPhone users can use Live View in Google Maps to better share locations Google's $699 Pixel 5 and $499 Pixel 4a 5G are finally official Donald Trump hovers over Melania during a speech as only Trump can Elon Musk: Tesla could be producing 20 million cars per year by 2030 Agence is an interactive VR 'film' that lets you train an evolving AI 'South Park' residents will fill the stands at Sunday's Broncos game Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro has a 144Hz display, 5,000mAh battery Mariah Carey reveals hidden vocals on '90s alt Everyone's tweeting the dramatic moment John McCain killed Obamacare repeal
2.2229s , 8224.0703125 kb
Copyright © 2025 Powered by 【Widow who Fell For Her Son’s Friend’s Stuff She Met On A Matching App (2025)】,Miracle Information Network