Summary
This is the prepared hide of Sam the Koala. Sam's public story started a week prior to the February 9th Black Saturday Bushfires, when she was filmed drinking from firefighter David Tree's water bottle. The publication of Sam's image became headline news around the world. She became a symbol of hope and resilience amidst the loss and trauma of Australia's worst bushfires on record. Sam's situation became known to Wildlife Rescue and Protection members on 6 February 2009. Sam recovered from her burns at the Southern Ash Wildlife Shelter, but was later euthanised due to chlamydiosis which is widespread in koalas and is exacerbated by loss of habitat. After Sam's death she was moved to the Musem Collection and was prepared for display in a manner depicted her recovering from her fire injuries, during the time she was cared for at the Southern Ash Wildlife Shelter. Sam was on display in the Wild exhibition at Melbourne Museum.
Specimen Details
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Taxon Name
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Author and date of publication
(Goldfuss, 1817)
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Preferred Common name
Koala
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Number Of Specimens
1
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Sex
Unknown
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Specimen Nature
Nature: Mount, Form: Dry, Fixative treatment: dried
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Original Source
Mr David Tree - Country Fire Authority (CFA), Mirboo North, Gippsland, Victoria, Australia, 1 Feb 2009
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Other Association (See Comments)
Mr Mike Beamish, Samsons Rd, Mirboo North, Gippsland, Victoria, Australia, 6 Feb 2009
Mike and his wife rescued Sam. -
Other Association (See Comments)
Mrs Cathy Beamish, Samsons Rd, Mirboo North, Gippsland, Victoria, Australia, 6 Feb 2009
Cathy and her husband Mike rescued Sam. -
Other Association (See Comments)
Mrs Colleen Wood - Southern Ash Wildlife Shelter, Rawson, Gippsland, Victoria, Australia, 6 Feb 2009 - 6 Aug 2009
Volunteer Wildlife Carer for Sam. -
Other Association (See Comments)
Dr John Butler - Animal Clinic Morwell, Princes Hwy, Morwell, Gippsland, Victoria, Australia, 6 Feb 2009 - 6 Aug 2009
Wildlife Vet who treated Sam. -
Collected By
Colleen Wood - Southern Ash Wildlife Centre
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Sampling Method
Died in captivity
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Date Visited From
6/08/2009
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Date Visited To
6/08/2009
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Category
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Scientific Group
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Discipline
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Collecting Areas
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Type of Item
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Keywords
Bushfires, Black Saturday Bushfires, 2009, Wildlife Rescue, Natural Environment
Taxonomy
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Kingdom
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Phylum
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Subphylum
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Class
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Superorder
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Order
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Suborder
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Family
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Genus
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Species Name
cinereus
Geospatial Information
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Country
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State
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District
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Town
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Latitude
-38.35
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Longitude
146.12
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Geodetic Datum
WGS84
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Georeference Source
Geoscience Australia Place Name Search