Koalas in danger because of the bushfires in Australia

By: Brooke Donovan | Writer

November 15, 2019

It could be months before Eastern Australia has their brushfires under control. In Port Macquarie, Australia, about 250 miles north of Sydney, bushfires have spread throughout the country, burning and killing many animals and their habitats. As catastrophic fires have burned more than two million acres in Australia, dozens of koalas have been rescued from smoldering trees and ashen ground. 

The fires are killing hundreds of Koalas and burning through their colonies. The animals, already threatened as a species before these latest blazes, occupy a specific habitat. They are being treated in rescue centers and at least one private home along the country’s east coast. The koala, the national symbol of Australia, has raised questions about what it will take to preserve biodiversity in this country, especially because these animals have the highest rate of species extinction in the world.

 In some regions, scientists say, koala’s numbers have declined by as much as 80 percent, though it is difficult to know how many koalas remain across Australia. Bushfires in Australia are a regular occurrence during the summers, but the intensity of this year’s fires and how early they are coming into the season have created a debate over the impact of climate change. 

“The animals are suffering, being misplaced, and not

knowing where to go.” SCHS sophomore Faith Gillett said, “So someone needs to do something before they all go extinct.”

 Four people were also killed due to the out-of-control bushfires over the weekend, two of them trying to flee fast-moving fire fronts in cars. People and animals are continually dying from the fires, so something needs to be done to fix this problem, but no one is sure what to do. People are realizing now that it is a wake up call to fix the serious problem of climate change and bushfires. 

“I hope that these fires will stop, because when the fires came to Los Angeles, they were pretty bad.” SCHS senior Dana Shany said, “I hope the people and the animals stay safe.”