Sad news as Sam, the koala bear pictured drinking from a bottle held by firefighter David Tree during the Australian bush fires, has died.
The four year old koala became a bit of a celebrity, and a symbol of hope, during the Australian bush fires which killed over 200 people. She was found by firefighters and was filmed accepting a drink from a bottle. She had been trying to pick her way through the bush, her little paws badly burned.
Sam died while undergoing surgery to remove cysts connected with chlamydia, a potentially fatal disease affecting almost half of the koal bear population. As the surgery was underway, doctors discovered that the problem was far more serious than was first thought and, with little chance of survival, the decision was taken to put Sam to sleep.