What's Trending

Australian bush fires: Social media erupts with stories of unsung heroes helping others and wildlife

Not all heroes wear capes is the oft-repeated comment on posts

New: Gift this subscriber-only story to your friends and family

A photo of a 22-year-old holding a koala in his arms covered with a blanket has been liked 18,000 times on Twitter. Mr Patrick Boyle told stuff.co.nz he decided to go into the forests to look for wildlife he could save during the bush fires. He managed to carry some nine burnt but alive koalas to the wildlife rescue centre in Mallacoota in south-eastern Australia.

Another story going viral is that of a pharmacist who continues to distribute medication even as his own house in the state of New South Wales has been destroyed. Mr Raj Gupta, 52, told SBS News: "I've had my patients come in and say they've not only lost their house and their belongings, but also their medication." His story prompted fellow pharmacist Jill Porter to respond: "We lost our farm in St Pats day fires, 2018. I am a pharmacist, happy to cover Raj from Tues."

Already a subscriber? 

Read the full story and more at $9.90/month

Get exclusive reports and insights with more than 500 subscriber-only articles every month

Unlock these benefits

  • All subscriber-only content on ST app and straitstimes.com

  • Easy access any time via ST app on 1 mobile device

  • E-paper with 2-week archive so you won't miss out on content that matters to you

Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.

A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Sunday Times on January 05, 2020, with the headline Australian bush fires: Social media erupts with stories of unsung heroes helping others and wildlife. Subscribe