37000 Koalas Killed During Australia’s Wildfire, Only 9000 Remains

Every day dozens of injured koalas were brought to the Kangaroo Island Wildlife Park’s makeshift animal hospital either in cat carriers, washing baskets or clinging to wildlife carers. Inspite of such massive and emergency rescue efforts most of the injured Koalas couldn’t be saved.

Rescuers are still trying to find out Koalas who are injured in the bushfires that have destroyed the wildlife haven, off the coast of South Australia state. Some marsupials are rescued in the process that currently requires urgent treatment, they are simply referred to by a number.

Among them is Koala Number 64, who was brought to the animal hospital with burns on all four of his paws. Now stretched out on a surgical table inside a bustling tent, he has been sedated so the wounds can be examined and treated.

Veterinarian Peter Hutchison says, “It is healing nicely”, explaining the koala had already benefitted from the treatment in the last few days. Hutchison also says, “He’s going to need another week (to recover) and will need to be kept caged after that. Because there is no habitat for him to go back to at this time”.

Not all the rescued koalas have been lucky like Koala number 64, as many are found so badly injured that they need to be euthanized.

Steven Selwood, Emergency Management team leader at the hospital, says around 46,000 koalas are expected to be on the island before this year’s bushfires. Now it is estimated that as few as 9,000 remain, which is “pretty devastating”.

He says, “The fires here were particularly ferocious and fast-moving so we are seeing a lot less injured wildlife than in other fires. A lot of the wildlife was incinerated.”

The government also has accepted that the situation of wildlife is worse, as Sussan Ley, Australian Environment Minister said the population of the koala in the country had taken an ‘extraordinary hit’ as a result of bushfires, suggesting they could be listed as ‘endangered’ for the first time.

The loss has made them a key ‘insurance population’ for the future of the species as large numbers of Koalas have died in bushfires on the Australian mainland.

Half of the Kangaroo Island has been razed by fire, and an estimated 80 percent of the koala habitat of the island has been wiped out. 

The massive destruction of both flora and fauna has also left rescuers with questions, what to do with the animals once they are recovered. But for now, the priority for the teams of vets is to save as many as possible.