Paris Tootell, one of the night staff in the intensive care unit, with Bob the baby koala.
Baby koala Bob was only eight-months-old when he was scooped up in the talons of a hungry wedge-tailed eagle and taken for a flight. But the furry 500-gram fellow struggled and fell to the ground, where he was lucky to be spotted by two early-morning walkers who sought help at The University of Queensland Small Animal Hospital , at the School of Veterinary Science. Associate Professor Dr Bob Doneley from the centre's avian and exotics team said the koala was now recovering well in the hands of an experienced carer, who had named him Bob. "The koala came to us very depressed and lethargic. He wasn't eating and had several bleeding puncture wounds in his armpit, with a lot of bruising and swelling around them," Dr Doneley said. "X-rays of his chest showed that, while there was some swelling in there, his lungs were intact." "We treated him with intravenous fluid, antibiotics and painkillers." After a long sleep, Bob woke more responsive and started to eat special critical care formula, and was discharged from hospital to live at the home of the carer. "We're told he's doing very well now and eating by himself," Mr Doneley said.
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