Some might call them koala bears, but the adorable animals are actually marsupials. Lately, there has been some misinformation about koalas being 'functionally extinct'. According to National Geographic, however, this is a myth. Koalas do suffer, though, in the Australian bushfires, with many being burnt alive.
Lewis, the koala, seemed to have escaped danger after he was rescued from Australia’s horrific wave of bushfires. However, the poor animal has now died after it became clear that his burns were not going to improve.
The koala, dubbed Ellenborough Lewis, had been taken to the Port Macquarie Koala Hospital after a woman rescued him from one of the many wildfires engulfing the state of New South Wales.
The koala hospital made the heartbreaking decision to euthanize Lewis after an inspection of his wounds, which weren't improving, the hospital said in a post to Facebook.
Lewis went viral after dramatic footage emerged of a courageous woman running into a raging brushfire to rescue him. The video depicted the marsupial, severely burned with patches of fur missing, running near the fires before the woman, Toni Doherty, rescued him by pouring bottles of water on him and wrapping him in a blanket.
Sad news 💔
— BBC Breakfast (@BBCBreakfast) November 26, 2019
Lewis the koala has died after failing to recover from his injuries 😢
More here👉🏼:https://t.co/EGys32rgJK pic.twitter.com/9484XKdlnY
I’m glad they were at least able to comfort him. It’s so sad.
— lynn180 (@lynn180_lynn) November 26, 2019
Ellenborough Lewis, the koala that was saved from a New South Wales bushfire by a woman, has been put to sleep in a hospital due to his extensive burns on November 26, 2019.#ThaiPBSWorld #RIPLewis pic.twitter.com/6x7YLOCp7B
— Thai PBS World (@ThaiPBSWorld) November 26, 2019
I know there is a lot going on in the world but I’m gutted by the news that Lewis the koala - who was rescued from the Australian bush fires - has sadly died from the injuries he sustained 😭🐨 pic.twitter.com/CiNKOwQFVN
— Dan Walker (@mrdanwalker) November 26, 2019
The beloved #Koala bears are now functionally extinct. The devastating bushfire in #Australia has destroyed 80% of their habitat.
— Parisar (@parisarpune) November 29, 2019
And blame it on the humans who have managed to ruin the planet.https://t.co/Jgif4xgGJS
Lewis’ death comes as several experts warn that anywhere from some hundred to more than one thousand koalas have died in the fires over New South Wales and Queensland since September 2019.
In Port Macquarie alone, it's estimated that 350 koalas have died out of a population of 600.
Deborah Tabart, chairman of the Australian Koala Foundation, has warned that the koala population is “functionally extinct” because of the difficulties of the species recovering from the fire. National Geographic disagrees with this expression and clarifies that koalas are considered vulnerable to extinction—only a step above endangered. According to reports, between 350 and a thousand koalas have been found dead so far in fire-devastated zones of northern New South Wales.
The Port Macquarie Koala Hospital and other experts disagreed with Tabart’s assessment, however, which they see as far too alarmist.
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