Koala begs cyclists for water in Australia heat as bushfires kill 30 per cent of the species


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nOo3cAz7w8Q

I was about to start a thread asking for those down under to give us a shout.

Poor, poor thing. Koalas are *mean*, so you know that one was in terrible shape.

Poor thing.

Hi Beth and friends

Life has been calmer since the weekend when the fires went crazy across eastern Australia, and there has even been some rain in coastal areas. However temperatures are rising again and more drama is expected at the end of the week. Canberra is surrounded by large fires so that the air has been very smoky for weeks and on bad days the city can barely function.

They are still counting the houses lost, but thankfully not many people have died. Millions of animals have. I read just now that the area burnt out is roughly equal to South Korea in size (I haven't fact-checked that).

People are still trying to absorb the reality of the scale of the disaster and estimate what it will mean for the country (and the world) going forward. Politicians trying not to stick their heads above the parapet until summer ends. One report today says that the worst of the heat is probably over - but still no sign of significant rain anywhere useful.

My state of Western Australia (about one third of the continent, but with only 2 million people) currently has literally no roads open to other states due to fires, floods and cyclones! Trains, ships and planes still operating so we aren't starving.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/07/2020 07:52AM by oldpobot.

My kid just got back 2 days ago. She was in Perth, but had to fly to Sydney to then fly to LA. She said it was 120 degrees in Sydney. If there really are people intentionally starting fires, they need to go to jail forever. People died and are still dying. She said over 500 million animals have died. That's half a billion burned animals. So sad.

Yes there are always arsonists, mostly young kids or disturbed people. Fire is fascinating to them. Some of them join the volunteer fire brigades.

The problem here and now is that the fires, however they start, cannot be readily stopped because of the drought, dry timber and wind/heat.

In the midst of the wildfires, this is a beautiful thing--for the koala, and for those who care.

They're treating burned koalas and they show how people in suburbs and cities can help the animals as they leave the bush. They're leaving out water and hanging fruit kebabs for flying foxes.

https://www.news.com.au/technology/science/animals/half-a-billion-animals-perish-in-bushfires/news-story/b316adb4f3af7b1c8464cf186ab9f52c



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/07/2020 01:26AM by Beth.

So terrible.

I see in today's news that 24 people have been arrested in Australia for starting fires. And I thought that it only happened here in the U.S.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/24-australians-arrested-for-deliberately-setting-fires-this-season/ar-BBYG2kd?li=BBnb7Kz

According to the Brisbane Times, arson accounts for over 100 of the Queensland fires alone.

"As firefighters remained on high alert, police revealed 103 of the destructive fires that had lashed Queensland since September were deliberately lit.

Figures obtained by AAP revealed police had dealt with 98 people - 31 adults and 67 juveniles - for deliberately setting fires."

https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/national/queensland/dozens-of-firebugs-blamed-for-destructive-queensland-fires-20191220-p53m1i.html

The article is dated December 20, so it may be even higher.

Some of the media, including the Murdoch press, is playing up the arson angle to weaken the focus on the climate change issue.

This is heartbreaking. I listen to the national news every morning for this ONE news story, hoping there is good news.

If the cyclists are Mormon missionaries, the koalas can get water and the discussions.

Oldpobot has summed up our situation pretty well. The weather cooled off considerably over the weekend and we had a bit of light rain which helped control some of the smaller fires close to home. However, the big ones are still burning and the temperature is on the rise again.

Last Friday the smoke was so thick here that we could barely see our next door neighbour's house and the main street of our historic little country town was deserted. Cars were queued up at the town's only service station as the usual holiday influx of tourists decided to leave en masse.

Although we are not under any direct threat at the moment, the situation can change dramatically in the blink of an eye, especially with our hottest month yet to come. So our car is packed and fuelled up ready for us to leave at a moment's notice.

The loss of wildlife in these fires has been devastating and the impact, especially on our koalas will continue for several years until the trees have begun to regenerate. Koalas only feed on a limited number of the many different types of eucalypts and most of their water requirements are provided from the leaves they eat.

Hi Silver, sounds like you are pretty close to the action - where abouts?

My daughter, who was visiting Perth (Wembley Downs?) just talked to her friend there. He said that they think 30% of the Koala population has been killed. You hearing the same thing? How sad.