How to Help Koalas In Bushfires in Australia
It’s heart-wrenching to see images and footages in the news of the horrendous bushfires in Australia that have severely impacted Australian Wildlife and the beloved iconic Koalas. Southern Australia is one of the most affected areas, where over 1 billion animals are estimated to have died in the blazes. On top, they fear that nearly half the population of Koalas on Kangaroo Island have been killed.
This tragic news is devastating and worrying, as Koalas are now pushed towards the brink of extinction. According to the World Wildlife Fund, Australia around 1,25 billion animals may have died in the fires, with an estimated loss of 80% of their natural habitat to catastrophic bushfires, which have burnt 8.4 million hectares across Australia.
In this tough time that Australia is facing, there are, however, ways for people to help in forms of donations or other ways of support.
Here is the official page with the global Australian Wildlife and Nature Recovery Fund
If you are in the position to donate, here are more useful links to help save the endangered Koalas in Australia right now:
Zoos Victoria is devastated by the impact of the Australian bushfires and is raising much-needed funds to assist precious species and their habitat.
We’ll be looking at solving the long-term issues around habitat loss with the money donated to the Bushfire Emergency Wildlife Fund. These animals have months and years of fighting ahead of them, and we’ll be with them every step of the way. Donate here: https://t.co/CJVUgDDVH9 pic.twitter.com/lhWhqchogl
— Zoos Victoria (@ZoosVictoria) January 12, 2020
Wires (NWS Wildlife Information, Rescue and Education Service Inc) is Australia’s largest wildlife rescue organisation; they have released a factsheet on how to assist wildlife during bushfires in Australia. From the same page, you also have a link on how to donate.
To help the thirsty Koalas in Adelaide areas, check out this GoFundMe Campaign
If you are in Queensland, you can donate to the Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary and the Wildlife Warriors Hospital in Beerwah, where I did volunteering work with injured Koalas a few years ago.
Here is more useful information on the Australian Koala Foundation.
There are many more ways of supporting wildlife in bushfires in Australia. You can check out the volunteering programs to donations, and, on this page, you can find the complete list of wildlife rescue groups, sanctuaries and organisations across Australia that are in desperate need of help.
Australia is strong, and anything you can do will aid in supporting the affected wildlife and recovering from the disastrous bushfires situation.
