Australia's wildlife carers are set to work "around the clock" through Christmas to deal with the impact of the deadly wildfires on the country's unique wildlife, Reuters reports.
Why it matters: The fires have burned an estimated 12 million-plus acres across the country, per the Guardian. The impact on wildlife has been devastating, particularly for koalas. Conservationists fear over 2,000 of the marsupials have died in the blazes, SBS News reports.
The state of play: Cheyne Flanagan, clinical director of Port Macquarie Koala Hospital, told Reuters staff are caring over Christmas for 72 koalas affected by the blazes — and they're preparing for more, "particularly for baby animals stressed by hot weather, bushfires and drought."
- A fund-raising page set up for the hospital to help koalas in October, a month after the bushfires broke out, had raised $2.1 million by 10 p.m. Tuesday Eastern Time.
- Across the country, tales of heroism are emerging as Aussies step up to help rescue native wildlife — including some involving remarkable four-legged heroes.
Thirsty Koala Bottle-Fed by Firefighter as Cudlee Creek Fire RagesA thirsty koala was bottle-fed by a firefighter battling a blaze in South Australia’s Adelaide Hills. Read more about the Adelaide Hills blazes: https://bit.ly/2rsiBwA Credit: Oakbank Balhannah CFS via Storyful
Posted by The Australian on Monday, December 23, 2019
An obsessive-compulsive dog who was abandoned as a puppy has a new mission: helping find and save koalas injured in Australia’s recent devastating bushfires https://t.co/0eiw2hrQiT
— SBS News (@SBSNews) November 20, 2019
My cousin Dean has been a firefighter for over 17 years. Over the weekend he was out on a run in Balmoral and found this ringtail possum in the middle of the road. As he got closer the little guy ran up his leg seeking shelter from the smoke and flames pic.twitter.com/cYeJZlLW4A
— Emily Swanson (@Em___) December 23, 2019
Another juvenile female spotted-tailed #quoll found in the #bushfire affected gorges of Oxley Wild Rivers National Park. Great film work by @hpmilne pic.twitter.com/D1E3g75FVW
— Bronwyn Fancourt (@BronFancourt) December 18, 2019
This is ‘Bear’ on the job in Queensland with the fire & emergency services crews.
— 💧Jon (@jonstubbo) November 18, 2019
Bear is an IFAW koala bear detection dog that goes into bushfire areas searching for surviving koalas.
Good luck, Bear!!👍#QLDFires pic.twitter.com/GSOKxFIU5Y
This is baby blossom. Sadly her mother died on the road and little Blossom suffered smoke inhalation. Thankfully she’s now doing well. She put a big bloody smile on my face after another long couple of days covering the #nswfires pic.twitter.com/Y7uIQ2JtJN
— Mylee Hogan (@MyleeHogan) December 23, 2019
What a good dog.
— Keira Savage (@KeiraSavage00) November 30, 2019
Taylor the springer spaniel is busy helping detect and save the lives of koalas and wounded wildlife in bushfire destroyed areas.
“She is trained to prioritise the scent of the live animal and sit as close to it as she can”.https://t.co/kiim0eCcRQ pic.twitter.com/ecipZg3dKU
Go deeper: In photos: Deadly wildfires rage across Australia
