Koalas could be listed as endangered species in parts of Australia after devastating bushfires

Victoria Bell
Updated
ADELAIDE, AUSTRALIA - JANUARY 08: Floyd one of the first rescued Koalas from the Cudlee Creek fires recovering in the outside pen at Paradise Primary school where Adelaide Koala Rescue have set up in the schools gymnasium on January 08, 2020 in Adelaide, Australia. There are grave fears for the future of the koala population on Kangaroo Island following the catastrophic bushfire last Friday 3 January, with more than half of the island's 50,000 koala population believed to have perished. Two people were killed and more than 155,000 hectares have been burned, along with at least 56 homes were also destroyed. (Photo by Mark Brake/Getty Images)
A koala recovers in the outside pen at Paradise Primary school where Adelaide Koala Rescue have set up in Adelaide, Australia. (Getty)

The koala population could be listed as “endangered” in parts of Australia as the devastating bushfires destroyed wide stretches of the animal’s habitat.

The Australian government has pledged $50 million (£26 million) to help rescue and protect wildlife affected by the summer fires but environmentalists fear some species and fauna may have already been driven to extinction.

Estimated numbers show around a billion animals have been killed in the wildfires since they began, the human death toll of which stands at 28 and continues to mount, while thousands of homes have been destroyed.

Heartbreaking images show koalas, kangaroos, and other animals after being badly injured as fires burned an estimated 25.5 million acres since September.

In this image made from video taken on Dec. 22, 2019, and provided by Oakbank Balhannah CFS, a koala drinks water from a bottle given by a firefighter in Cudlee Creek, South Australia. Around 200 wildfires were burning in four states, with New South Wales accounting for more than half of them, including 60 fires not contained. (Oakbank Balhannah CFS via AP)
A koala drinks from a water bottle provided by an emergency worker after devastating fires ravaged habitats. (Oakbank Balhannah/AP)
Blackened trees poke through the scorched ground after a wildfire ripped through near Kangaroo Valley, Australia, Sunday, Jan. 5, 2020. The deadly wildfires, which have been raging since September, have already burned about 5 million hectares (12.35 million acres) of land and destroyed more than 1,500 homes. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)
Blackened trees poke through the scorched ground after a wildfire ripped through near Kangaroo Valley, Australia (AP)
KANGAROO ISLAND, AUSTRALIA - JANUARY 10: An injured koala is treated at the Kangaroo Island Wildlife Zoo on January 10, 2020 in Kangaroo Island, Australia. The town of Kingscote was cut off last night as the Country Fire Service (CFS) continued to battle a number of out-of-control blazes. The fires have taken two lives and burnt more than 155,000 hectares destroying atleast 56 homes since starting on January 4th. (Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images)
An injured koala is treated at the Kangaroo Island Wildlife Zoo on January 10, 2020 in Kangaroo Island, Australia. (Getty)

Five conservation groups wrote to environment minister, Sussan Ley on Thursday to express concern for at least 13 species, including iconic animals like koalas, kangaroos and wallabies.

Koalas are already listed as vulnerable in northern New South Wales and south-east Queensland.

She said the marsupials had taken an “extraordinary hit”, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.

“There is no doubt a large number of koalas have lost their lives, many others have been injured,” Ms Ley said.

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“The truth is we don’t know the full extent of that damage until it has been mapped and until these fires are over.”

She said that reviews would be brought forward on whether certain koala populations should be listed as endangered rather than vulnerable.

“It may be necessary to see whether in certain parts of the country, koalas move from where they are, which is often vulnerable, up to endangered,” she said.

Colleen Wood treats a Koala nicknamed Sam at the Mountain Ash Wildlife Center in Rawson, 100 miles (170 kilometers) east of Melbourne, Australia, where workers were scrambling to treat the wounds of possums, kangaroos and lizards Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2009. More than 180 people were killed in the weekend's fires, and on Wednesday, the scope of the devastation to Australia's wildlife began to emerge, with officials estimating that millions of animals also perished in the inferno. (AP Photo) ** AUSTRALIA OUT **
A worker holds up the foot of a burned koala at at the Mountain Ash Wildlife Center in Rawson, 100 miles east of Melbourne, Australia. (AP)

The $50 million commitment will be taken from the government’s $2bn bushfire recovery fund, set up to support the rebuilding of community infrastructure and to help affected farmers and businesses.

The government announced on Monday that $25 million would go directly to wildlife carers, hospitals and zoos based on advice from a panel of experts led by the threatened species commissioner, Sally Box.

Cheyenne Tree treats a Koala nicknamed Sam, saved from the bushfires in Gippsland, at the Mountain Ash Wildlife Center in Rawson, 100 miles (170 kilometers) east of Melbourne, Australia, where workers were scrambling to salve the wounds of possums, kangaroos and lizards Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2009. More than 180 people were killed in the weekend's fires, and on Wednesday, the scope of the devastation to Australia's wildlife began to emerge, with officials estimating that millions of animals also perished in the inferno. (AP Photo) ** AUSTRALIA OUT **
A worker treats a Koala nicknamed Sam, saved from the bushfires in Gippsland, at the Mountain Ash Wildlife Center. (AP)

According to the Guardian the treasurer, Josh Frydenberg said: “This initial investment of $50 million into the protection and restoration of our wildlife and habitat is a critical step in creating a viable future for the animals that have survived.”

He told reporters on Monday as he visited the Port Macquarie Koala Hospital, where 45 koalas were being treated for burns that the crisis has been an ecological disaster.

"We know that our native flora and fauna have been very badly damaged," he said.

In this Jan. 5, 2020, photo provided by the United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service, Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit Capt. Dave Soldavini holds a baby kangaroo that was rescued from a wildfire, in Cobrunga, Australia. The U.S. is planning to send at least 100 more firefighters to Australia to join 159 already there battling blazes that have killed 25 people and destroyed 2,000 homes. (Jeremy McMahon/Bureau of Land Management via AP)
Capt. Dave Soldavini holds a baby kangaroo that was rescued from a wildfire, in Cobrunga, Australia. (AP)
A firefighter patrols a controlled fire as they work at building a containment line at a wildfire near Bodalla, Australia, Sunday, Jan. 12, 2020. Authorities are using relatively benign conditions forecast in southeast Australia for a week or more to consolidate containment lines around scores of fires that are likely to burn for weeks without heavy rainfall. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)
A firefighter patrols a controlled fire as they work at building a containment line at a wildfire near Bodalla, Australia on Sunday. (AP)
Flames from a controlled fire burn up tree trunks as firefighters work at building a containment line at a wildfire near Bodalla, Australia, Sunday, Jan. 12, 2020. Authorities are using relatively benign conditions forecast in southeast Australia for a week or more to consolidate containment lines around scores of fires that are likely to burn for weeks without heavy rainfall. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)
The fires have destroyed habitats and killed hundreds of animals as they raged across the country. (AP)

Meanwhile, knitters from the UK have responded to a call to create thousands of protective pouches and blankets for injured wildlife.

The UK Crafters United Group has made over a tonne of items which are being dispatched to Australia.

Donations to the volunteer-run group have come in from as far afield as the United States, Britain, Hong Kong, France and Germany.

The Worldwide Fund (WWF) has warned the government of 13 animals whose habitats have been either destroyed or severely damaged.

They include three critically endangered species: the southern corroboree frog, the regent honeyeater bird and the western ground parrot.