On January 7, rescuers rescued a koala on Kangaroo Island in Australia. | Xinhua News Agency, the fire covered an area of more than 112,000 square kilometers, and many important habitats were destroyed by fire... In the hardest-hit states of New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia, the real threat to many wildlife is that they will no longer recover from devastating fires. The Australian Federal Government announced on the 13th that it has established a $50 million wildlife recovery fund. According to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), Finance Minister Josie Friedenburg said $25 million would be given to wildlife rescue teams, hospitals and zoos on the front lines; another $25 million would be used as emergency intervention funds to build a team of expert consultants. According to the Hoffington Post, the Victorian Government's Draft Biodiversity Response Plan for Forest Fires shows that wildfires have burned "the most biodiverse areas" in the state. The report notes that many species have lost more than 40 percent of their habitat, while some species have more than 70 percent of their homes destroyed. Based on the extent to which habitats have been burned, the report lists 54 species in need of immediate attention. Among them are 13 species of amphibians, 13 species of aquatic animals, 11 species of birds, 8 species of mammals, 7 species of reptiles and 2 species of bats. Obviously, the disaster of Australia's national treasure koala is the most interesting. Wildfires have caused more than 30% of the koala habitat in New South Wales to be destroyed, and Australian Environment Minister Susan Ray proposed during a visit to the Port Macquarie Wildlife Hospital on the 13th that the post-disaster assessment of whether koalas should be upgraded from the current "endangered species" to "endangered species". "The iconic koala will be the focus of federal funding." Finance Minister Friedenberg, who traveled with Ray, said the specific casualties of koalas could only be understood until the fire was extinguished. According to Sam Mitchell, a partner at Kangaroo Island Safari, told The Guardian that about 50,000 koalas live in Australia, with "probably more than half" of them dying in the fire. Koala's thick fur and instinct to climb high when frightened are both disadvantages for him to escape the fire.
Broom-tailed rock kangaroos In addition to koalas, the airdrop mission, dubbed Operation Rock Kangaroo, also introduced another endangered species in Australia, the broom-tailed rock kangaroo. On the 12th, NSW airdropped 1 ton of sweet potatoes and carrots by helicopter to help the broom-tailed rock kangaroos waiting for rescue. Mark Eldridge, who has studied the species for more than 30 years, usually disapproves of human intervention, but in this "desperate moment", he acquiesced to the government's airdrop operation. "The fire killed some rock kangaroos, but others survived, taking refuge in crevices in the rocks." "However, the surviving rock kangaroos are now facing an extremely difficult period — the fire destroyed almost all of their food, and because there was no cover from vegetation, they were easily exposed to predators," Eldridge said. Eldridge said the urgent task now is to control the number of non-native predators and herbivores in the affected areas so that the surviving rock kangaroos can be restored. WWF has reportedly identified with the Australian government 13 species whose habitat has been severely damaged, three of which are critically endangered: the southern corroboree frog, the regent honeyeater and the western ground parrot.
Southern corroboree frog, also known as the Australian night feast frog, is a small frog unique to the southern highlands of Australia, with a black and yellow stripe appearance, similar to the makeup of Australian Aborigines when they participate in the dance feast. According to the Victoria Zoo website, the species' habitat in Coseosko National Park in New South Wales is already fragile due to disease and the effects of climate change. Coupled with the fire composed of 3 mountain fires, experts are also deeply worried about the future fate of the Koroo toad.
Regent Honeyeater The critically endangered species, the King Honeyeater, has lost its most important habitat, the Capelty Grand Canyon in New South Wales. Ross Krates, a researcher at the Australian National University, said: "By the time they leave their habitats and fly everywhere for the winter, probably at least 60 per cent of their homes have been burned down. ”
Western ground parrots and wild westland parrots have fewer than 140. Most Westland parrots live in Western Australia's Dry Point National Park, and only a very small number of Westland parrots are kept in captivity at Perth Zoo. Author: Wu Shu Disclaimer: This article is reproduced for the purpose of transmitting more information. If there is a source labeling error or infringement of your legitimate rights and interests, please contact the author with the proof of ownership, we will correct and delete it in time, thank you. ( Source: Wenhui Network)