Major Cute Alert!



Local CFA firefighter David Tree shares his water with an injured Australian Koala at Mirboo North after wildfires swept through the region on Monday, Feb. 9, 2009. Suspicions that the worst wildfires ever to strike Australia were deliberately set led police to declare crime scenes Monday in towns incinerated by blazes, while investigators moving into the charred landscape discovered more bodies. The death toll stood at 181.(AP Photo/Mark Pardew)

Link: AP News | www.tucsoncitizen.com



Even though we had heard that native animals have been suffering in the heatwave conditions of the last week in Adelaide it came as a surprise to be stopped on the side of the road during a bike ride by a thirsty young koala.

We were riding on the old Mt Barker Rd towards Mt Lofty with just a little of the enthusiasm left from the Tour Down Under after the heat had taken its toll.

The koala uncharacteristically approached us and it became clear by the manner in which he grabbed the water bottle and the enthusiastic way he gulped it down that his thirst was a priority.

Deb Kelly from the animal welfare unit of the Department of Environment and Heritage advised us that this was probably a weaning youngster who had devised the method of stopping cyclists as a survival tool.

She assured us that it was most unusual for any species in the wild to behave this way and unfortunately is a sure sign of the animal's distress.

We hope that our moment shared with the koala helped him to survive though it is clear the extreme and prolonged heat has taken its toll on our native animals.

Link: Cyclists share water bottle with thirsty koala - ABC Adelaide (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

__________________

AWWWW! How cute are those pics!!!

__________________
Support bacteria -- it's the only culture some people have!

If Vegetarians eat Vegetables. Do Humanitarians eat Humans?

'Vegetarian' is an old Native American word for bad hunter.

It is these kinds of pictures that give me hope for humanity ~ soooo wonderful! Thanks for posting ~ you made my day.

I had read the story about the firefighter and the koala earlier today. How sad about all the lives lost in those fires.