Steve Irwin's family announces it has saved 90,000 animals in Australia, and says admissions are surging as bushfires rage on
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The family of late Australian wildlife conservationist Steve Irwin announced that they treated their 90,000th patient at their wildlife hospital in Queensland, as bushfires continue to ravage Australia.
Bindi Irwin posted the announcement on her Instagram page, and expressed her heartbreak at the devastation caused by the fires.
Bushfires in Australia have destroyed the country's wildlife and nature. Nearly half a billion animals are believed to have died this bushfire season.
Read all of Insider's coverage of the Australian bushfires here.
The family of late wildlife conservationist Steve Irwin says it has saved 90,000 animals at their wildlife hospital in Australia, as bushfires continue to ravage the country and destroy its animals and nature.
Bindi Irwin announced in a Friday Instagram post that the family's wildlife hospital at the Australia Zoo in Queensland had now treated more than 90,000 patients.
"With so many devastating fires within Australia, my heart breaks for the people and wildlife who have lost so much," she said.
Irwin added that while the hospital is safe from the bushfires, which are concentrated in southeastern Australia, the number of patients are rising due to the flames.
"Our Wildlife Hospital is busier than ever though, having officially treated over 90,000 patients," she said.
The family's patients included "Blossom the possum," which was admitted after being caught in one of the bushfires in other parts of Queensland. The possum later died despite efforts from the hospital's veterinarian team.
Other patients included grey-headed flying foxes, a species of bat listed as vulnerable in Australia.
The bats had been flown into Queensland after their rescue center was evacuated due to the fires, Irwin said.
Nearly half a billion animals — mammals, birds, and reptiles — are believed to have died since the start of this bushfire season.
The Australian government on Monday announced a $2 billion recovery fund to rebuild areas affected by the bushfires. During the Golden Globes award ceremony on Sunday, multiple celebrities also spoke out about the bushfires and pushed for climate change reform.
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