Orphaned joeys in need of ‘pouches’

Recently, we shared a heart-wrenching tale: After barely escaping recent bush fires, koalas were so badly burnt that they needed special treatment to heal their paws — including hand-sewn cotton mittens to cover their dressings.

Because of the (unsurprising) viral nature of our post and others like it, the International Fund for Animal Welfare now has plenty of mittens. So now they ask volunteers to turn their attention to other animals displaced and injured by the fires.

Kangaroos, possums and wallabies have also been rescued, the agency writes on its blog, and many of the survivors are orphaned baby animals. The joeys need to be kept warm and safe in pouch-like environments (which, like diapers, need to be changed several times a day), so sewers wishing to lend a needle can use a special pattern to help out.

As with the mittens, make sure to use clean, 100 percent cotton. And remember that shipping to Australia is expensive.You can also just donate directly to the IFAW or another animal rescue center in the area.

And really: Stop sending mittens.

“What started off as a local campaign, just asking the Australian public, has just absolutely gone global and viral,” an IFAW rep said. “We’re now getting offers from as far afield as Russia, Kazakhstan, China, the U.K. and the U.S.”

The IFAW hasn’t even gotten around to counting all of the mittens they’ve received, but they estimate they’ve gotten thousands. But they won’t go to waste.

“Luckily, we have a big stock room and we will keep them here and send them out to people all around the country as and when they’re needed,” she said.