The saving of fire-threatened animals from koalas to kangaroos reflects some of the small acts of heroism occurring during the fires

This article is more than 8 months old

This article is more than 8 months old

As Australia’s bushfire crisis continues, millions of hectares have been lost, with a tragic impact on wildlife and flora.

Among the destruction, the efforts of volunteer firefighters, residents and animal rescuers have stood out, with small acts of heroism that have saved many animal lives. A few have become emblematic images of this year’s terrible fire season.

Koalas and Adam

At the Cudlee Creek fire in the Adelaide Hills, a firefighter called Adam rescued at least six koalas from one of the most intense blazes to hit the state.

The devastating fire, which reached emergency level on Friday, killed one person and destroyed 72 homes and 227 vehicles.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Koalas in a home in Cudlee Creek, South Australia, after being rescued from fires in a garden.

Local firefighters helped a woman move them into her house. Photograph: Adam Mudge/AP

On Friday, resident Janelle Michalowski shared an image of the six koalas huddled safely inside after being rescued.

Koala factcheck: have the Australian bushfires put survival of the species at stake? Read more

Journalist Laura Thomson praised the rescuer – later identified as Adam Mudge.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest A koala drinks water from a firefighter in Cudlee Creek after being rescued from a blaze. Photograph: Oakbank Balhannah CFS/via AP

She later wrote: “I’m told Adam doesn’t quite get why so many people are praising him – it’s just a part of his job as a volunteer firefighter.”

A kangaroo in the living room

On the New South Wales central coast, a fire at the start of December burned through thousands of hectares, on a day when eight different fires in NSW reached emergency level.

In the town of Kulnura, firefighters set up outside a house, preparing for the firefront. Inside, Narelle Davis and Jill Gilbert were cooking sausages on the stove. Mim the kangaroo sat, unperturbed, on a blanket.

The family told Guardian Australia they had raised the eastern grey kangaroo since she was young, feeding her by hand. They released her, and had let her roam wild for years.

Now, as the fires burned, she turned up at their door seeking shelter.

“Now she’s wild but she comes in. I’ve kept her in because of the fires and that,” Davis told Guardian Australia.

One man and a koala

At Lobethal in the Adelaide Hills, another town hit by the Cudlee Creek blaze, two koalas came out of the bush to escape the fire. They met the best person who could help.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest A firefighter and a koala in South Australia. Photograph: Eden Hills Country Fire Service/Facebook

Dale Adams, a lieutenant at the Eden Hills Country Fire Service, took the photo of his colleague. He told Guardian Australia it was common for koalas to come out, apparently looking for firefighters, in these situations.

NSW fires so destructive thousands of koala bodies may never be found, ecologist says Read more

“Up behind us there were a couple of houses under threat so we were working to protect them from ember attack,” he said. “They stepped out of the bush seeking help.”

He said the koalas were given water and moved to a safer location.

The possum in a helmet

In Balmoral, NSW, relatives of another volunteer firefighter shared these incredible images of a ringtail possum escaping the flames and finding safety in an RFS helmet.

Emily Swanson (@Em___) My cousin Dean has been a firefighter for over 17 years. Over the weekend he was out on a run in Balmoral and found this ringtail possum in the middle of the road. As he got closer the little guy ran up his leg seeking shelter from the smoke and flames pic.twitter.com/cYeJZlLW4A

Emily Swanson (@Em___) He dropped him off at a local station and soon after helped drag a man from a burning house. We’ve lost lives, land and wildlife to these bushfires despite the tireless efforts of our firies. These folks are heroes and they need all the support they can get #NSWFires #NSWRFS

The kangaroo cooling off

Taking a cue from Mim the kangaroo in Kulnura, this roo was spotted going further, dipping into a suburb pool on a 42C day in the Hunter.

Nine News Australia (@9NewsAUS) COOL KANGA: A beautiful kangaroo has been spotted cooling off in a backyard pool in the New South Wales Hunter region. #9News



Credit: Sharon Grady. pic.twitter.com/3nAQ6H2np7

Koala rescue dogs

And how could we forget the animals themselves helping rescue animnals: from Taylor the springer spaniel in Port Macquarie, on the NSW mid-north coast, to Bear, the cattle-dog cross with obsessive-compulsive disorder who, after being abandoned by his owners, found a new life as a koala detection dog.

Keira Savage (@KeiraSavage00) What a good dog.

Taylor the springer spaniel is busy helping detect and save the lives of koalas and wounded wildlife in bushfire destroyed areas.

“She is trained to prioritise the scent of the live animal and sit as close to it as she can”.https://t.co/kiim0eCcRQ pic.twitter.com/ecipZg3dKU

SBS News (@SBSNews) An obsessive-compulsive dog who was abandoned as a puppy has a new mission: helping find and save koalas injured in Australia’s recent devastating bushfires https://t.co/0eiw2hrQiT

Jon (@jonstubbo) This is ‘Bear’ on the job in Queensland with the fire & emergency services crews.

Bear is an IFAW koala bear detection dog that goes into bushfire areas searching for surviving koalas.

Good luck, Bear!!👍#QLDFires pic.twitter.com/GSOKxFIU5Y

Quolls in Oxley national park

Conservationist Bronwyn Fancourt shared this video on Friday of a quoll being rescued and released back into the Oxley Wild Rivers national park in NSW, even after the devastation had rolled through.

Bronwyn Fancourt (@BronFancourt) Another juvenile female spotted-tailed #quoll found in the #bushfire affected gorges of Oxley Wild Rivers National Park. Great film work by @hpmilne pic.twitter.com/D1E3g75FVW

Baby Blossom

Mylee Hogan (@MyleeHogan) This is baby blossom. Sadly her mother died on the road and little Blossom suffered smoke inhalation. Thankfully she’s now doing well. She put a big bloody smile on my face after another long couple of days covering the #nswfires pic.twitter.com/Y7uIQ2JtJN

Berrara Beach

Kangaroos gathered on Saturday at this NSW beachside property as fires blazed on a horror day for the state.