Australian fires: Over 60,000 koalas and various other species affected, suggests report

A new report by the WWF state that more than 60,000 koalas have been impacted by last summer’s bushfire crisis. The impacts include death, injury, trauma, smoke inhalation, heat stress, dehydration, loss of habitat, reduced food supply, increased predation risk, and conflict with other animals after fleeing to unburnt forest. Not only this but the report also contains the impact that bushfire has had  on some individual animal species and groupings of species.

Species impacted by bushfires

These species include: 50 million native rats and mice; nearly 40 million possums and gliders; more than 36 million antechinuses, dunnarts, and other insectivorous marsupials. 5.5 million bettongs, bandicoots, quokkas, and potoroos. 5 million kangaroos and wallabies, 5 million bats; 1.1 million wombats; 114,000 echidnas; 61,000 koalas; 19,000 quolls and Tasmanian devils and also, 5,000 dingoes. The report further revealed that the bushfires  impacted more than 41,000 koalas on South Australia’s Kangaroo Island, more than 11,000 in Victoria, nearly 8,000 in NSW, and nearly 900 in Queensland.

Read: Koalas Rescued In Fires Released Back Into Wild

As per the reports by WWF, Australia-WWF CEO Dermot O’Gorman said that the koalas in NSW and Queensland were already in rapid decline before the fires.

He said, “Sixty thousand koalas impacted is a deeply disturbing number for a species already in trouble. That’s why WWF has just announced Koalas Forever – a bold vision to double the number of koalas in eastern Australia by 2050. It’s part of WWF’s Regenerate Australia plan – the largest and most innovative wildlife and landscape regeneration program in Australia’s history. Nearly three billion animals impacted is a number that’s off the charts and shows why a plan of this scale is needed. WWF is determined to help restore wildlife and habitats, rejuvenate communities impacted by the bushfires, boost sustainable agriculture and future-proof our country”. 

Read: Orphaned Baby Koala Saved By Australian Zoo

Few suggestions

The research for the same was managed by Dr Lily Van Eeden and overseen by Professor Chris Dickman. Both of them come from the University of Sydney. They suggested various things including mapping and monitoring of plants and animals in bioregions most at risk in future fires. With this, they also suggested developing strategies to protect these areas during fires.

Read: ‘Ingenious’ Way Of Weighing Koala Leaves Netizens Amused; See Pics

Also Read: Koala Babies Pass Health Check At Sydney Zoo

(Image Credits: Unsplash)