As seen by this adorable yet extremely sad photo of an Australian firefighter David Tree giving water to a threatened koala bear, it's not just humans that are being affected by the devastating wildfires in Victoria, Australia.
- "It was amazing, he turned around, sat on his bum and sort of looked at me with (a look) like, put me out of my misery," Tree told The Associated Press on Tuesday. "I yelled out for a bottle of water. I unscrewed the bottle, tipped it up on his lips and he just took it naturally. He kept reaching for the bottle, almost like a baby."
This just breaks my heart!! Though thousands of animals have been killed in the fires, this particular koala (nicknamed Sam) was saved. The Royal Society for the Protection of Animals is establishing shelters to care for thousands of pets and livestock affected by the disaster.
The wildfires are being called the worst Australia has seen since February 1983; stretching over 1,200 sq miles in just a few days and destroying almost 1000 homes with a death toll that has now passed 180, thanks to temperatures that reached over 105 this past weekend.
The Australian Red Cross is doing all they can to provide medical and financial assistance to the individuals and families affected; they are currently running about 20 evacuation centers with the help of more than 400 volunteers and staff, registering names, providing shelter and meals, and giving emotional support.
From Red Cross Chat:
- "The Australian Red Cross has also partnered with the Australian Government to create the 2009 Victorian Bushfire Fund to assist individuals and communities affected by devastating bushfires. To date, the Fund has received more than AU$10.4 million from over 60,000 website and phone donations, with local corporations and governments pledging additional aid in response."
Natural disasters like these are among the hardest to witness. We're thankful for organizations such as The Red Cross for responding to such catastrophes. For more information, or to donate to the response effort, visit the Australian Red Cross website.
You can support The American Red Cross by choosing them as your Cause on SocialVibe. Here's hoping all of our Australian SocialVibe members are safe & sound. We're thinking of you and doing all we can to help.
via Yahoo! and Red Cross Chat
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