Australian Bushfire: Here’s How You Can Help Wildlife
How to care for Animals
Experts estimate that 480 million mammals, birds, and reptiles have been injured or killed in the droughts and fire currently ravaging Australia. Although the situation is grim, there is hope in the form of individuals like you and I.
Strategies to care for Animals
- If you approach a sick or injured animal, especially wild ones, expect them to be scared and wary of help. The best thing to do in this case is to contact your local wildlife rescue group and allow professionals to deal with that situation.
- If you can, provide some water as these animals are likely to be dehydrated.
- If you have a pool where you reside, you could keep some logs in it or rope or any way for animals to climb out if they accidentally fall in.
- Keep your pets inside for most parts of the day as other wild animals could be outside looking for shelter.
- Leave feed for birds and animals in areas that are safe from predators.
- It is likely that wildlife will flee fires and look for shelter, so you should drive slowly in fire-affected areas to avoid hurting them.
- Most of the rescue organisations and programs operate on voluntary labor and not many funds. So your donations will be of great help to these wildlife organisations as recovery, treatment, and rehabilitation operations are likely to go on for the next 12-18 months.
Organisations to donate to
There are so many great organisations and charities out there to assist the Australian wildlife. Here are some organisations that you need help:
- WIRES (New South Wales Wildlife Information, Rescue and Education Service Inc), Australia’s largest wildlife rescue nonprofit. They have been getting 500-1000 rescues calls a day since the bushfires started.
- World Wildlife Fund Australia is focused on providing emergency aid and shelter injured wildlife.
- Port Macquarie Koala has a GoFundMe page and require donations to rescue and rehabilitate koalas suffering from injuries. They are installing drinking stations in charred areas to provide water to animals and also get them to safety.
- RSPCA New South Wales require funds to continue evacuations, rescue and treat wildlife.
The bushfire crisis has had a devastating impact on local wildlife. It is heartening to see thousands of people help those who can’t help themselves. If you want to know what is causing these deadly bushfires, then check out our blog post on the reasons why the bushfires occurred.
