Australia allocates tens of millions of dollars to save wildlife: "ecological disaster"

The government promised to make every effort to enable the survival of the populations affected by the huge fires, headed by the koalas. "We know that our vegetation and animals have been severely damaged"

Australia allocates tens of millions of dollars to save wildlife: "ecological disaster"

The Australian government has pledged $ 50 million as part of an environmental restoration program following the huge fires that threaten the survival of some native species, such as koalas and wolves. The giant fires contained more than 112,000 square kilometers of space, about half the size of the UK. Some estimates say that one billion animals, including farm animals and pets, have been killed or put to death due to food or shelter.

"This is an ecological disaster that is still happening," Treasury Rep. Josh Freindenberg told reporters while visiting a Koala hospital, where 45 are treated from pocket animals. "We know that our vegetation and animals have suffered heavy damage." Freendenberg said the "emblematic" koala will be the focus of the plan, adding that the full extent of the damage will be clear only after the end of the fires, which experts believe may only be in a few months.

Photos of kangaroos, koalas and burnt oposomes, as well as videos documenting people endangering their lives to save animals, have been circulating around the world. Following this, hundreds responded to the call to produce thousands of protective holsters and wounded wild blankets.

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Koala injured in fires treated at Kangaroo Island, Australia (Photo: Reuters)

Koha injured in fires treated in Kangaroo Island, Australia, January 10, 2020 (Photo: Reuters)

The Australian Department of the World Wildlife Conservation Fund (WWF) has advised the government on 13 animals whose habitat has been severely destroyed or damaged, including three endangered species: a type of poisonous frog, a royal honeybee and a western terrestrial parrot. "Huge sections of globally significant areas, such as the Gondwana Blue Mountains World Heritage Site, along with the Australian Alps and Stirling Territories, have experienced catastrophic fires," the statement said.

At the same time, in a campaign known as "Wolby Rocks," inspectors at the National Park used helicopters to dump tons of carrots and sweet potatoes into isolated areas of New South Wales. Pocket animals are usually able to escape the fires, but find it difficult to locate food due to the destruction of their vegetation. State Environment Minister Matt Keane said: "Providing food supplementation is one of the key strategies we employ to support the survival and recovery of endangered species."

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About a billion animals perished in fires. Koala is treated on Kangaroo Island, Australia (Photo: Reuters)

Cause of fire being treated in Kangaroo Island, Australia, January 10, 2020 (Photo: Reuters)

Endangered species commissioner Sally Box said about 30 percent of the koala habitat - forests of eucalyptus trees used for food and shelter - in the state of New South Wales, caught fire. The heavy fur of the koalas and their tendency to climb to the tops of the trees when under danger make them especially vulnerable to rapidly spreading fires.

Federal Minister for Environmental Protection Susan Leigh said some koal populations might be classified as "endangered" and not "vulnerable." She promised to do everything possible to extract and rehabilitate their habitats, including "innovative approaches that test if koalas can be moved to an area they did not come from."

Australia burning (Photo: AP)

A wave of fires hit Australia's east coast on December 30, 2019 (Photo: AP)