No doubt you would have seen the images of the fire catastrophe that is burning its way through Australia. The human toll has been great with entire towns burnt to the ground. Homes and businesses lost. In some case lives.
The wildlife, the native animals of Australia have also suffered, horrifically. The forests that are burning, are their homes and food source. The intensity of the fire in places will have killed the forest. Where the heat is most extreme, it will have also killed all of the necessary micro-organisms in the soil, and change the chemical composition, rendering it sterile for decades to come.
There are some very dire predictions for the animals that survive, with the possibility that some species will now be extinct. It is a desperate race to find and provide care for the animals that have survived.
Many dedicated volunteers who give freely their time, resources and homes to rehabilitating sick, injured and orphaned wildlife. Friends of mine belong to a volunteer organisation called WIRES. I have seen first hand the time intensive work that they and their colleagues do. However, they need help with covering the costs of this often sleepless work.
All animals once fully recovered, are released back into an appropriate wilderness location.
If you are considering donating to helping out with this disaster you can do so on the WIRES website. All donations are tax deductible.