SYDNEY — More than 60,000 koalas were among the animals impacted by Australia’s devastating 2019-20 summer bush fires, according to a report released Monday.
The final bush fire impact report by the World Wide Fund for Nature-Australia found that overall nearly 3 billion animals were in the path of the fires that burned up to 19 million hectares across the south and east of Australia.
Koalas in the states of New South Wales and Queensland were in rapid decline before the fires.
The “Black Summer” impacts on the native species included death, injury, trauma, smoke inhalation, heat stress, dehydration and loss of habitat.
The report also revealed that around 143 million mammals, 2.46 billion reptiles, 181 million birds, and 51 million frogs were in areas hit by the blazes.
The figures remain unchanged from July’s interim report.
WWF-Australia CEO Dermot O’Gorman said nearly 3 billion animals being impacted is “off the charts.”
He announced that the organization is working on a “Regenerate Australia” plan, which includes “a bold vision to double the number of koalas in eastern Australia by 2050.”
“WWF is determined to help restore wildlife and habitats, rejuvenate communities impacted by the bush fires, boost sustainable agriculture and future-proof our country,” O’Gorman said.
He said the number of koalas impacted was “deeply disturbing” for a species already in trouble.
Under the “Koalas Forever” plan, WWF-Australia will be experimenting with seed-dispersing drones to create koala corridors and setting up a fund to encourage landowners to create koala safe havens.
