The Australian bushfires have caused widespread devastation across the country, and although firefighters have now managed to get the blazes under control, per Sky News, "blazes across the country have razed nearly 29.7 million acres of tinder-dry bushland, killing 33 people and an estimated one billion native animals since September."

One species that has been greatly affected by the fires is one of the best-known Australian animals, and also one of the cutest. Namely, the koala bear.

These sluggish and docile creatures have been killed in their droves, forcing firefighters, vets, and everyday activists to mobilize en masse to protect survivors from harm.

Now an adorable koala bear has gone viral on social media this week, after it was filmed hugging a stuffed toy that looks a lot like her dead mother.

The footage of the small animal was filmed by American vet Paul Ramos, who took to his personal Instagram account to share the heartbreaking footage of the unfortunate marsupial.

Ramos captioned the video: "This little girl unfortunately just lost her mother. People and Nature: Truly we are all connected and we can, and must do better. To the wildlife carers, local community and wildlife vets who will step in to take care of her and hopefully, release her back to the wild."

In a recent interview with Reuters, ecologist Romane Cristescu, (of the University of the Sunshine Coast,) stated: "With climate change, habitat loss and diseases, koalas are just facing too many threats. Those fires are just one of the many things threatening them so we really need to be better at protecting them."

Meanwhile, WWF conservation scientist Dr. Stuart Blanch told ABC News: "What I've heard from people doing the surveys is that we might have lost 10,000 koalas from the fires and the droughts. It's brought forward a 2050 extinction projected timeline for most of the populations across the state by years."

The Australian bushfires have caused widespread devastation across the country, and although firefighters have now managed to get the blazes under control, per Sky News, "blazes across the country have razed nearly 29.7 million acres of tinder-dry bushland, killing 33 people and an estimated one billion native animals since September."

One species that has been greatly affected by the fires is one of the best-known Australian animals, and also one of the cutest. Namely, the koala bear.

These sluggish and docile creatures have been killed in their droves, forcing firefighters, vets, and everyday activists to mobilize en masse to protect survivors from harm.

Now an adorable koala bear has gone viral on social media this week, after it was filmed hugging a stuffed toy that looks a lot like her dead mother.

The footage of the small animal was filmed by American vet Paul Ramos, who took to his personal Instagram account to share the heartbreaking footage of the unfortunate marsupial.

Ramos captioned the video: "This little girl unfortunately just lost her mother. People and Nature: Truly we are all connected and we can, and must do better. To the wildlife carers, local community and wildlife vets who will step in to take care of her and hopefully, release her back to the wild."

In a recent interview with Reuters, ecologist Romane Cristescu, (of the University of the Sunshine Coast,) stated: "With climate change, habitat loss and diseases, koalas are just facing too many threats. Those fires are just one of the many things threatening them so we really need to be better at protecting them."

Meanwhile, WWF conservation scientist Dr. Stuart Blanch told ABC News: "What I've heard from people doing the surveys is that we might have lost 10,000 koalas from the fires and the droughts. It's brought forward a 2050 extinction projected timeline for most of the populations across the state by years."