Approximately 480 million animals are believed to have been killed in wildfires that have ravaged Australia since September, according to an estimate by the University of Sydney.
Why it matters: The fires have seriously threatened Australia's wildlife, known for its rare animals and distinctive ecosystems. It had already been imperiled by deforestation to support the country's growing agribusiness.
- The scale of the damage is still unclear because of a lack of access to the burned areas and because it's difficult to document the animal deaths, but scientists say "it is clear that the devastation is immense," per the New York Times.
Zoom in: Experts say thousands of kangaroos and koalas have been killed in Kangaroo Island, which has had a third of its land destroyed, per the Times. They fear the worst for the island's subspecies of cockatoos, which had a population of about 300 to 370 before the fires.
Be smart: The estimated death toll is calculated by multiplying the number of estimated animals in a given area by the number of acres burned, per Australian biodiversity expert Chris Dickman.
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