A cyclist has shared the heartbreaking moment she fed water to a desperate koala amidst the ongoing Australian bushfires.
Anna Heusler, who was riding her bike in Adelaide Hills, Southern Australia, posted a video to Instagram of the parched creature guzzling down he water in sheer desperation.
Take a look at the upsetting moment here:In the caption to the post, she explained:
"There were about a dozen cyclists around me watching this (all men) and several commented that it was genuinely the best thing they’ve witnessed. What a truly wonderful experience.
In a previous post, Heusler wrote: "PHOTO OF THE DAY. Australian Koala Bears. [Suffering] severe thirst in a heatwave. This Koala walked right up to me as I was descending and climbed up onto my bike while I gave him water. BEST THING TO HAPPEN TO ME ON A RIDE EVER."
When Heusler and the other cyclists also present at the time spotted the koala, they stopped the bikes to help the koala get off the road to prevent it from getting hit by a car.
This is the incredible moment a woman risked her life to rescue a koala from a raging blaze:"The koala walked up to me very quickly, he was obviously very thirsty," she told CNN. "As I was giving him a drink from our water bottles, he climbed up into my bike."
"There’s nothing but tragedy in Australia. It’s burning out of control," the cyclist added. "I hope this episode helps spread awareness. The firefighters are the real heroes, not me."
Heusler has since raised over $13,000 for Adelaide Koala Rescue. On her GoFundMe page, she writes that the AKR "are doing an INCREDIBLE job of rescuing and caring for over 110 koalas that have been injured in the Adelaide Hills bushfires and/or suffering from dehydration."
Australia's devastating bushfire crisis has been ongoing since September, with fires blazing in every state in the country. And tragically, at least 25 people and 500,000 animals have died as a result of the fires. In addition, over 2,000 homes have been destroyed.
If you would like to donate to the brave services fighting these bushfires, please find the necessary information below...
How you can donate:
The NSW Rural Fire Service has multiple options for direct donations. You can donate to the RFS as a whole, or to specific brigades. You can donate through bank transfer, credit card or cheque.
For bank transfers, there is a set bank account (Account Name: NSW Rural Fire Service, BSB: 032-001, Account No: 171051). This account is for the RFS as a whole.
This link will take you to the landing page for credit card donations. You can donate to the RFS general fund or choose specific brigades from the dropdown box.
In Queensland, Fire and Rescue advise that you can donate both money and items through the website givit.org.au. The website allows fire-affected communities to list what they specifically need, from water tanks in Yeppoon to school uniforms in Zillmere.
In Victoria, the Country Fire Authority has two bank accounts - one for specific brigades and one for the general fund.
In South Australia, the Country Fire Service accepts donations through the CFS Foundation. You can donate to them here. You can also leave a bequest.
If you cannot find the particular brigade you are looking for, you can contact them directly.