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A koala who became an internet sensation when images of him soothing his burnt paws in medicine were shared online has been released back into the wild.

Jeremy was injured in bushfires in Australia's Adelaide Hills earlier this month and has since been receiving treatment at the Australian Marine Wildlife Research and Rescue Organisation (AMWRRO).

Staff tended to the young koala's every need and watched him become something of a celebrity when the picture of him lying on his front with all four paws soaking in a medical solution went viral.

The process was necessary to make sure his wounds didn't become infected - but also led to unlikely outpourings of adoration.

He received his nickname after Jeremy Sparrow, a fire service volunteer who rescued him.

Aaron Machado, who operates the clinic that treated the koala, said it was important to make sure his wounds did not get infected as the animals have a very poor, 'if not obsolete', immune system.

Speaking to the BBC, he said: "He had a big attitude. He became easier to manage once he was over that initial shock and he realised that we weren't going to eat him.

"We realised he wasn't just big grumpy bum, he actually had a big heart."

(Image: AMWRRO)

Speaking at the time of Jeremy's rescue, he added: "They get to a point where they are in so much pain they just sit at the bottom of a tree and scream."

Tragically, hundreds of animals are believed to have been killed in the bushfires which raged across 12,500 hectares of land across South Australia.

More than 100 people needed hospital treatment and at least 32 homes were destroyed.