Australia is still suffering from catastrophic wildfires across the country that have been raging uncontrollably since June 2019.
The scale of the fires was incomprehensibly large at 42 millions acres of land affected, most of that burning through the habitats and homes of Australian wildlife. Current estimates suspect that nearly 1 billion animals have been killed, causing some species to become endangered or pushed towards extinction. Including some species of koala, which are incredibly close to being wiped out.
The human population has also been affected by the wildfires, with 33 people killed and over 5,900 buildings burned down including homes and schools. Whole towns across some of the heavily affected areas in New South Wales have been evacuated for the people’s safety as the wild and unpredictable fires can quickly change direction and travel at 14 mph at the fastest, twice as quick as the average human can run.
So, what can you do to help the koalas, kangaroos and people of Australia during this time of crisis?
Support Australian Fire Services
The heroes of the bushfires are undoubtedly the different fire services across Australia, and you can help by making donations to them. The more money they receive, the more man-power they can hire to tackle the inferno. Firefighters are also best positioned to extract any wildlife from a forest before the blaze reaches them.
There are several fire services that you can donate to, including the New South Wales Fire Service, Northern Territories Fire and Rescue, Queensland Fire and Emergency Services, SA Country Fire Service, Tasmania Fire Service, Western Australia Fire Service, Country Fire Services (Victoria).
The New South Wales Fire Service is accepting donations to help to compensate volunteer firefighters, some of whom have been helping to tackle the fires for over 100 days without any compensation, as well as a donation pot for the families of 3 volunteer firefighters who have been killed combatting the blaze.
Donate to Rehabilitation Centers, Hospitals, and Wildlife Parks
Koalas and kangaroos are some of the animals that have been drastically affected by the wildfires. You can help them by donating to the centres designed for their medical care or rehabilitation. There are several organisations you can donate to in order to help the wildlife of Australia:
- WWF – The World Wildlife Fund is taking donations to help with conservation efforts, specifically koalas.
- Kangaroo Island Wildlife Park – Have vowed to help kangaroos and koalas, providing medical aid and building more enclosures.
- Port Macquarie Koala Hospital – Will provide medical aid to koalas, build more enclosures and establish a wild koala breeding program.
This is a very important time for conservation efforts into Australian wildlife, and even the smallest donations to any of the above organisations will help their efforts to mitigate the devastation caused during this tragic time.
