A burnt koala which stole hearts around the globe after being rescued from blazes burning in New South Wales has been humanely put down, according to 7 News.
WATCH: Woman rescues a scorched koala from Australian bushfire
Lewis the koala went viral when he was saved by New South Wales grandmother Toni Doherty, who rushed into burning bushland and took the shirt off her back to carry him to safety.
Lewis was taken to the Port Macquarie Koala Hospital, which treated him for his injuries.
On Tuesday the hospital announced on Facebook that, sadly, Lewis’ injuries were too severe for him to survive.
“Today we made the decision to put Ellenborough Lewis to sleep,” it said.
“We placed him under general anaesthesia this morning to assess his burns injuries and change the bandages.
“We recently posted that ‘burns injuries can get worse before they get better’.
“In Ellenborough Lewis’s case, the burns did get worse, and unfortunately would not have gotten better.”
Meanwhile, an animal hospital has received more than $1.6 million in donations to help treat injured koalas than have been affected by the New South Wales bushfires.
Port Macquarie Koala Hospital started a GoFundMe page last month, with the goal to reach $25,000, but has since raised more than 65 times its initial target.
According to the listing, as many as 350 koalas perished in and around Port Macquarie in November, so the goal is to build a “Koala Ark” to accommodate any surviving koalas.
It revealed the additional money will help to repopulate koalas in the wild, by establishing a breeding program to ensure the survival of the iconic marsupials.
Related stories
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
