Lewis, the koala that symbolised bushfire heartbreak, has died

Lewis, the koala who captured hearts after he was rescued from a bushfire by grandmother Toni Doherty last week, has died, the Koala Hospital in Port Macquarie has just revealed.

A video of Toni ripping the shirt from her back to save the crying koala from a fire at Long Flat in New South Wales went viral on social media last week, and the hospital had been keeping thousands of well-wishers updated on the badly burnt animal’s progress as he was treated.

The 14-year-old male, who was called Ellenborough Lewis after Toni’s grandson, had suffered burns to his chest, stomach, legs and feet, however, and the hospital made the decision today to euthanise him.

“We placed him under general anaesthesia this morning to assess his burns injuries and change the bandages,” the hospital posted on Facebook, explaining that it had found that Lewis’ burns had become worse. “The Koala Hospitals number one goal is animal welfare so it was on those grounds that this decision was made.”

The hospital had warned on Monday that it was certain whether Lewis would survive his injuries and cautioned that if it felt his injuries weren’t treatable or his pain intolerable, it would put him to sleep.

“At the Koala Hospital we do not keep koalas alive ‘to save their lives’ if this means pain and discomfort that is too much,” it explained.

The post updating followers that Lewis had died was shared almost 3,000 times and attracted more than 2,000 comments paying tribute to the tireless workers at the hospital.

“This must have been such a hard decision,” one follower commented on the Facebook post.”Run free, little one. At least he called attention to the plight of koalas and the brave souls who are helping them.”

Another follower agreed that the hospital had done the right thing for Lewis. “My heart breaks for him and all the wildlife who are suffering so badly in this horrific fire event ravaging our country,” the commenter added.

The hospital responded with its own thanks for all of the wonderful donations of supplies and cash, adding that it now had enough supplies to last the next 10 years.

Lewis’ picture was published around the world following his rescue as international news outlets picked up coverage of the bushfires that have destroyed homes and taken four human lives over recent weeks.

The media attention helped raise much-needed funds for the Koala Hospital, with donations on its GoFundMe page topping $1.6 million on Tuesday afternoon.

According to a News.com.au report, up to 350 koalas may have been killed in bushfires near the Port Macquarie region, where Lewis was saved.