"It's a Tragedy": Conservationists Fear For Koalas' Life During Australian Fire Crisis

After a wildfire turned at least 2,000 hectares of bush to ash, Australian animal rescuers feared that more than a hundred of koalas died.

The mass blaze is believed to be caused by a lightning strike on Saturday. It took place near the town of Port Macquarie in New South Wales, around 250 miles north of Sydney. The local wildlife rescuers said that the areas have a sanctuary that protects a "very rare" population of koalas. The president of the Port Macquarie Koala Hospital, Sue Ashton, told AFP news agency that the genetic diversity of koalas is what gives them a "special importance". She called this a "national tragedy".

The fire is still going on...

New South Wales has experienced more than a hundred fires on the past month due to severe drought caused by climate change. The battle is still going on, with at least 70 fires scattered all over the most populous state in Australia.

Rescue missions for survivors have not yet started because the fire was still raging. But the situation is getting better due to "significant resources" like availability of aircraft in the area, according to New South Wales Rural Fire Service.

Ashton also said that by Thursday or Friday, wildlife volunteers and firefighters will join force in rescuing survivors and on assessing the scale of loss.

Koalas are among the most common fatalities of wildfire. Unfortunately, rather than running away, they often opt to climb to the top of the tree and curl into a ball to protect themselves from the fire, Ashton explained.

Burning those furs in their bodies was fine since it grows back. But if the fire intensifies and consume the entire tree, it is the end for the koalas.

Critically endangered...

Before the British occupation in 1788, the estimated number of Koalas is around 10 million.

Over the years, the species has suffered from a massive population decline due to habitat loss, diseases, dog attacks, and climate change. The monitoring groups believed that the estimated population in the wild was around 43,000.

The koala, which scientific name is Phascolarctos cinereus, is listed as "vulnerable" by Australia's Environment Ministry.

But the Australian chapter of Worldwide Fund of Nature (WWF) reported last year that there is a much smaller population now, with only 20,000 koalas left in New South Wales. As the conversion of forest to commercial farms continues, the species risk becoming extinct by 2050.

An argument was already brought up to raise the classification of koala to "critically endangered."