The world is one big place for you if you’re a small – and very cute – koala! Especially a koala carrying a baby on your back!
This mom and her baby were caught standing in the middle of a highway, unaware of the danger from passing traffic. What happened next was incredibly cute and heartwarming!
Koala baby and mom find themselves in big danger in the middle of the road
As you may already know, koalas live in southern and eastern Australia and can’t be found anywhere else in the world. Australia is making massive efforts to preserve koalas’ natural habitat but unfortunately, accidents can’t always be avoided.
According to hospital records, about 300 koalas are killed on the roads of Southeast Queensland every year. Koalas are not easy to spot on the road and many of them are killed as a result.
It didn’t happen to this mom and her baby, thanks to the driver who stopped just in time to lead them away from the highway.
Don’t get sleepy now!
Koalas are best known for being sleepyheads and they sleep almost 20 hours a day! Getting sleepy is not a good idea if you’re standing in the middle of a busy highway, though. We see an adorable koala baby and its mom approaching our hero, as he attempts to shoo them away from the road.
It proved out to be a challenge as these two fluffy fur bags seemed reluctant to leave! That’s no surprise considering that koalas are very friendly and love to cuddle!
Koalas are an endangered species
These two adorable creatures eventually found their way back to the wild and disaster was averted only thanks to a timely intervention by a responsible driver.
The sad part is that the recent wildfires in Australia may have caused the deaths of up to 30 percent of koalas in New South Wales. Australia’s environment minister said that koalas are under threat.
There’s good news, however. Many koalas have been saved from the burning inferno thanks to the efforts of volunteer firefighters.
“I get mail from all around the world from people absolutely moved and amazed by, number one, our wildlife volunteer response, and also by the habits of these curious creatures,” Ley said.
Two koalas were rescued from fires by one firefighter
Back in December when bushfires devastated Australia and caused alarm all over the world, one firefighter jumped to the rescue. Two koalas emerged from the bush to seek shelter from the fire and met Dale Adams who gave them water and led them back to safety.
“Up behind us there were a couple of houses under threat so we were working to protect them from ember attack,” he said. “They stepped out of the bush seeking help.”
The heartwarming images of Dale helping koalas were posted on Twitter and made everyone’s day.
My cousin Dean has been a firefighter for over 17 years. Over the weekend he was out on a run in Balmoral and found this ringtail possum in the middle of the road. As he got closer the little guy ran up his leg seeking shelter from the smoke and flames pic.twitter.com/cYeJZlLW4A
— Em Swanson (@Em___) December 23, 2019
Helping rescue koalas is a true feat and it gives us hope that these fascinating creatures will be protected and preserved from extinction. Wath the heartwarming video of this adorable rescue for yourself below.
