A small koala has been rescued by a truck driver in New South Wales (NSW) after it was seen staggering out from pine trees recently ravaged by bushfires.
Water tanker driver Damian Campbell-Davys was on duty to fill up the tanks of fire trucks belonging to the Rural Fire Service, when he saw the marsupial in rural Nerriga looking for water.
He dubbed the koala "Tinny Arse" and said it was "a little ray of sunshine" during the nightmare fires.
"After the horrors of yesterday, it just made my day," he told the Sydney Morning Herald.
"The koala population has been decimated. Kangaroos can hop away, but koalas can't escape."
He added that when koalas climb up trees to escape fires, the radiant heat from below can still be enough to kill them.
"Tinny Arse" reportedly drank water for over an hour after being rescued. He was taken by a wildlife carer to escape the fire zone.
The national death toll from this season's bushfires stands at 24. There are 139 fires burning in NSW and nearly 1500 homes have been destroyed.
