As wildfires continue to rage across much of Australia, perhaps no family is better equipped to help wild animals through this disaster than the Irwin family. They’re making the late Steve Irwin proud by treating record numbers of wild animals at the hospital at Australia Zoo.
A stunning one billion animals have been caught in the fires in Australia, The Washington Post reports. Some of these animals aren’t found on any other continents on the planet. Others were already endangered before the fires.
The impact of such a large-scale ecological disaster is hard to comprehend or predict. In the meantime, animal rescuers have been focused on helping as many individual animals as possible.
Bindi Irwin, the 21-year-old daughter of Steve Irwin, wrote on Instagram about her family’s current rescue efforts. Bindi works at Australia Zoo alongside brother Robert and mom Terri.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B60DXgHhqrK/
Bindi wrote,
“With so many devastating fires within Australia, my heart breaks for the people and wildlife who have lost so much.
I wanted to let you know that we are SAFE. There are no fires near us @AustraliaZoo or our conservation properties.
Our Wildlife Hospital is busier than ever though, having officially treated over 90,000 patients.”
She even shared a post with these adorable bats!
https://www.instagram.com/p/B7APcOoBq00/
She wrote,
“My parents dedicated our Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital to my beautiful grandmother. We will continue to honour her by being Wildlife Warriors and saving as many lives as we can.”
Between the scorching flames, the polluting smoke, and the resulting habitat destruction, a huge variety of animals are being threatened by the fires. Mammals such as kangaroos and koalas have been affected, as well as birds, reptiles, and insects.
Here’s hoping that the fires stop soon!
