Humane Society International has deployed a disaster response team to Kangaroo Island on a search and rescue mission for wildlife survivors of the bushfires that have scorched over one-third of the island. At one area, the scenes were nothing short of apocalyptic. Only one living koala was found amongst thousands of bodies of koalas, kangaroos, wallabies and birds. ‘
‘But as we set out each day on search and rescue, we’re still finding animals alive, injured, dazed or traumatised, and it’s such a relief to be able to give them immediate life-saving assistance. Amidst all this death, every time we find an animal alive it feels like a miracle,’ said HSI’s senior specialist in disaster response, Kelly Donithan.
During their search and rescue, HSI also welcomed the Australian government’s $50 million pledge towards species and habitat recovery.
Audrey Delsink, HSI-Africa Wildlife Director said: ‘Our hearts ache for the people, animals and wildlife of Australia; the scale of the devastation is impossible to grasp. Based on the harrowing reports from our HSI-Australia partners and HSI Disaster Response Team on the ground, recovery of the landscape and the surviving wildlife is going to be an extremely long and difficult road. We thank all the carers and firefighters working so desperately hard to save the survivors and beat the blaze. Every survivor counts’.
Image credit: Humane Society International
