Fifty years ago my oldest sister was in a coma, clinging to life, with the hospital trying to cool her down through the use of fans. My sister did come come out of that coma after 2 weeks. So yes, we have experienced similar heatwave conditions in the past. What we did not have back then were the cameras that are available now, so that we did not capture on film some of the cutest shots that I have ever seen of koalas and their dependence upon humans as they too struggle against the heat.

The first I knew about these pictures came from an email sent by a friend. There is a series of pictures of the baby as it first approaches the tub of water and eventually it realises that getting into the tub will help him cool down even faster:

The photograph supplied in this story has been taken by Ms Young of Maude, from somewhere between Melbourne and Geelong. The series of pictures can be found here, as supplied to  News.com.au

Other delightful pictures of koalas being helped during the heat can be found as well. There are two that are quite outstanding:

- the koala drinking from a dog bowl;

- the koala leaning over the edge of a swimming pool and attempting to drink the water.

Other images, taken by amateur photographers, and without copyright have also surfaced, these images include a baby koala burying its head in a lawn sprinkler. These creatures remain hot and thirst during the heat wave – in these conditions the humans are also not faring well with more than 40 deaths being attributed to the conditions.

These images tell the story of the extreme heat that Australians are enduring at the present time. In South Australia where these pictures have surfaced the temperatures experienced are the hottest for the past 100 years. I am not sure about the Victorian stats, but I do know that 50 years ago there were identical temperatures.

These pictures tell me that these animals are so very dependent upon human beings, and that in this kind of weather, when their source of water (eucalyptus leaves) have withered because of the extreme heat, they need our help, and so they have come, looking for the water, trying to cool down. The pictures also show animals that are very trusting. They truly do tell a story of the trust that is shown between animals and mankind.