Soldiers from the Australian Army who are risking their lives to fight Australia's catastrophic fires are also helping to feed displaced koalas in their spare time.

The men and women from the South Australian and Tasmanian 16 Regiment Emergency Support Force visited Cleland Wildlife Park in South Australia last Friday.

They nursed koalas during feeding time and gave them their required nutrients through syringes.

Nobody had a chance to get changed out of their army uniforms for the quick stop and returned to battle the blazes in Adelaide Hills after the rest.

The men and women from the South Australian and Tasmanian 16 Regiment Emergency Support Force visited Cleland Wildlife Park in SA last Friday to feed koalas

One soldier was pictured cradling the koala during feeding time. The koala latched onto his finger to direct his food

'They've been using their rest periods to lend a helping hand,' pictures of the encounter were captioned on Facebook.

'A great morale boost for our hard working team in the Adelaide Hills.'

The adorable moment comes after reports suggested thousands of koalas could have perished when fires swept through much of the east coast of Australia.

Photos and videos from across the nation show desperate and often badly burnt koalas approaching humans seeking water and help.

Currumbin Wildlife Hospital senior vet Michael Pine said that while koalas can be given water to drink it should not be poured down their throats.

'Normally healthy koalas don't drink but the incredibly dry conditions means they will because they aren't getting enough fluid,' Mr Pine told Daily Mail Australia.

The soldiers visited the wildlife park during their downtime but had to return to battle an Adelaide Hills blaze

Anna Heusler was riding into the Adelaide CBD earlier this month when she came across a koala in the middle of the highway (pictured)

The soldiers helped out in the gardens as well during their brief break from battling fires

'As long as the koala is lapping and drinking itself that's fine but forcing it into their mouth - there is a risk that koala could breathe the liquid.'

Original reports suggested that 500 million animals had already perished in the blazes, but authorities now estimates that number is higher than one billion.

'Australia is a land of bushfires, but this season's unprecedented mega fires are not normal. Climate change does not cause bushfires, but it does make them much worse,' WWF-Australia CEO Dermot O'Gorman said in a statement.

'This heart-breaking loss includes thousands of precious koalas on the mid-north coast of NSW, along with other iconic species such as kangaroos, wallabies, gliders, potoroos, cockatoos and honeyeaters.'

Dutch Thunder Wildlife Shelter founder Kylee Donkers said volunteers for the shelter, located near Cobram in Victoria, have set up GPS tracked water stations for koalas

A koala drinks water from a bottle given by a firefighter in Cudlee Creek, South Australia on December 22