As bushfires began to flare up in their Australian habitat, many koalas began foraging for water in nearby backyards. Koalas almost regularly visit a particular family’s property when it’s extremely hot and it’s craving a drink. He does it so often that Rusty, the family dog, and Quasi have become best friends.
In fact, it happens so often that the family can capture a particularly adorable video and then go viral.
The adorable interaction begins with Quasi the koala sipping some water from a large basin in the Stone family’s backyard. The cute koala was drinking water when Rusty, the family dog, approached and also started sipping some water.
“Rusty is not afraid to share the water bowl at all. I think people can learn a thing or two from this couple,” said Danielle, Rusty’s mother.
Rusty then looked at Quasi, started wagging his tail and then gave Quasi a small lick. Apparently, Rusty enjoyed frequent visits from the tiny, furry marsupial, when it gave him an affectionate greeting.
If that wasn’t adorable enough, the couple leaned against each other and nuzzled each other for a few moments. Looks like Rusty is trying to comfort his koala friend. I mean, Quasi must be stressed because not only is it hotter than usual but his trees and habitat are literally on fire.
Sadly, it’s no surprise that the fires started during one of the hottest and driest years on record. Hot and dry are the exact conditions that allow fires to easily ignite and thrive. The record-breaking heatwave has been affecting animals and their habitats across the country. But tThe fires were heavily concentrated along the southeastern coast of Australia. Unfortunately, that’s exactly where the majority of the remaining koala populations live. (Remaining, because koala populations are declining due to habitat loss.)
After their adorable moment of obvious affection, Quasi turns to quench his thirst and Rusty continues to wag his tail nearby. The entire video clip might be only 16 seconds long but it certainly had a huge impact on those who watched it.
People find friendships between different species amazing and feel that there is a lot we can learn from their relationship.
Not only is the video highly emotional, but the short clip has been viewed more than seven million times and shared with thousands of other animal lovers around the world. Sometimes, the internet can really be a wonderful thing. You can watch the touching video below.
Featured pictures: Facebook
