- A group of cyclists found a koala in the middle of the road, looking dehydrated and confused on Friday. In what appeared to be a cry for help in the heat, the koala climbed on to one of the cyclist's bikes.
- The cyclist, identified by The Independent as Anna Heuseler, filmed the koala drinking her water just outside Adelaide in southern Australia, and posted the video on Instagram.
- Temperatures were over 100 degrees Fahrenheit (40 degrees Celsius) when the cyclist and fellow riders found the koala.
- Sharing the footage online, Heuseler said: "This koala walked right up to me as I was descending and climbed up onto my bike while I gave him water. Best thing to happen to me on a ride ever."
- People on Twitter are sharing other videos of themselves giving local koalas water to help fight dehydration during the extreme heat. Videos showed people bringing water to the koalas in trees and on the sides of roads.
- It's currently summer in Australia, and the country has been hit with a massive heat wave. The heat wave is expected to continue through at least the weekend.
- Some parts of Australia are facing a "severe" fire danger warning, CNN reported. Deadly bush fires have been burning across Australia over the last two months, killing at least 9 people and destroying nearly 800 homes.
- The mid-north coast of New South Wales is home to 15,000 to 28,000 koalas. Ecologists fear up to 9,000 koalas may have died in the recent bushfires, according to The Independent.
- You can watch Heuseler's video below, as well as the other videos of koalas that people have shared.
- Visit INSIDER's homepage for more stories.
Here's Heuseler's video:
And a closer look at the koala on her back tire:
Other people have also joined in on helping local koalas through the heat wave:
—The Voice of America (@VOANews) December 23, 2019—Organic Live Food (@OrganicLiveFood) December 27, 2019—Nine.com.au (@Ninecomau) December 24, 2019—julie marie cappiello Ⓥ (@jmcappiello) December 21, 2019
- Read more:
- A family of 8 is traveling through Australia's most remote regions in a fully customized double-decker camper van. Here's a look inside.
- A desperate kangaroo snuck into a family's pool in order to escape the bushfires raging through Australia
- 28 photos show the reality for firefighters and residents battling hundreds of deadly Australian bushfires that are raining ash onto major cities and destroying homes
- Australia's Prime Minister is sorry he went on vacation to Hawaii amid his country's wildfire crisis
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