28. A koala caught in the Victorian bushfires sits beside the road near Whittlesea, north of Melbourne, on February 15th, 2009. It was taken to an animal shelter and was able to recover
29. The foot of a koala saved from the bushfires in Gippsland
30. A possum with very badly burnt paws and tail, and suffering from smoke inhalation
Smoke billows from the Churchill fire in the Gippsland region of Victoria
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Treated at Whittlesea on February 16th 2009, after being caught in the bushfires that swept through the area
Australians remain unprepared to deal with bushfires despite a long history of loss and devastation from natural disasters, according to some of the country's leading bushfire researchers.