[OrangeCatBlackCat]

A heartwrenching video from ABC Livestock Losses to Top 10,000 (windows media)

also

A wildlife expert says more than a million native animals may have been killed in the Victorian bushfires

I've already contributed to animal rescue, wildlife rescue, and the RSPCA. They need more. I'm contributing again.

eta wildlife figures

This post has been edited by OrangeCatBlackCat: 11 February 2009 - 09:01 PM

[Doreen]

I can't watch the video, but am still trying to get more things down to the volunteers.

[blackcat1]

What an absolute tragedy. Many of those animals are endangered (well most wildlife on earth is endangered) and this is just devastating. Its bad enough that so much of that old growth forest had already been cleared for pine plantations, now so much more is gone.
Then there's the livestock who are not bred to be fast to outrun a fire, they had no escape.

There is some really ignorant talk going on, particularly by a columnist in SMH this morning, about how 'greenies' are the cause of this because of legislation about cutting trees and back burning etc. Basically she insinuated that bush should be cleared so that humans and property are safe. That is SO wrong. In essence houses should just not be build near or in bush land anymore, but the bush should be allowed to stay intact because there isn't much left of it. We must remember that humans dont own the world and we can not shape it to suit us.

The loss of wildlife is devastating but its hardly getting a mention in the news besides one video about a cute koala being given bottles of water.

[Furrballz]

This is just sooo heartwrenching...

I was looking at our local possums the other day, thinking on how they are considered pets in suburbia, but in this areas of the bush, they are now highly endangered or even no longer there. Maybe, once the forest has regenerated, the problem possums and even Koalas, can be used to re-stock the areas that have been devestated.

This post has been edited by Furrballz: 12 February 2009 - 09:42 AM

[bentley7]

Good on You - Well Done

[bentley7]

My CFA son in law tells me many CFA/Rescue people are also helping Wildlife/Pets/stock where they can
this photo by newspix is a good example and many photos of animals can be found on the link below.

http://www.newspix.c...ls%20not%20dead

[aquarian]

There is some really ignorant talk going on, particularly by a columnist in SMH this morning, about how 'greenies' are the cause of this because of legislation about cutting trees and back burning etc. Basically she insinuated that bush should be cleared so that humans and property are safe.

Actually it's not ignorant talk at all. It's based on science and research. Backburning reduces fuel loads. Not only that, backburning actually restores forests and regenerates it to a healthier level. Not only is it based on science it is also based on Aboriginal tradition and advise from elders.

They are not insinuating bush should be cleared for safety of humans and property at all either!!!! The facts are greenies encouraged planting vegetation near property....without the backburning! How safe is that might i ask??

Backburning benefits is proven over and over again

[KRYSSYKAT]

The problem with suburbanised wildlife TA is that they have learned to become too dependant on humans for survival and to put them back into the bush would see many unable to cope or survive ... HOWEVER with a little helping hand am sure they could readjust and their progeny go on and be truly wild and free

K

[Rachelle]

My CFA son in law tells me many CFA/Rescue people are also helping Wildlife/Pets/stock where they can
this photo by newspix is a good example and many photos of animals can be found on the link below.

http://www.newspix.c...ls%20not%20dead

They are such wonderful people. Thank you for the link, it's good to see happy pictures, so thank you very much.

[Dale]

I think you will find that 1 Million is severely under estimating the true numbers.
There has been 400,000 Hectares burnt SO FAR, that figure only equates to 2.5 animals per Hectare.
I would have a very UNEDUCATED guess that the figure will be greater than 2 Million and probably closer to 5.

Just to give some an idea of just how much land has been burnt.
1 Hectare = 2.5 Acres = 10,000M².
The average Suburban House Block is close to 500M² these days while the older sub divisions are 700m² - 1000m².

How many suburbs around you would be the equivalent to this size fire ??

[Paulsragdoll]

I think you will find that 1 Million is severely under estimating the true numbers.
There has been 400,000 Hectares burnt SO FAR, that figure only equates to 2.5 animals per Hectare.
I would have a very UNEDUCATED guess that the figure will be greater than 2 Million and probably closer to 5.

Just to give some an idea of just how much land has been burnt.
1 Hectare = 2.5 Acres = 10,000M².
The average Suburban House Block is close to 500M² these days while the older sub divisions are 700m² - 1000m².

How many suburbs around you would be the equivalent to this size fire ??

I agree, so true,
Our block is only half a hectare although heavily wooded and I know for sure it has way more than 2.5 wild animals on it,
There has been two koalas, a lizard and a possum seen in just the last 24 hours,
One of the koalas was sitting on our bullnose this morning, he kept us awake all night jumping around on the roof,

It is truely sad the toll on wildlife taken by these fires,

[Heather Sharada]

The toll on animals by the fires is horrendous but even before the fires the elevated temperatures were destroying Australian Wildlife in abundance - not just the Koalas who were dehydrated but our BK Retreat Centre at Baxter has 25 acres of virgin bush and almost all of the young possums from this year have been found dead.

Water and fruit was put out for them to help them along but there was just not enough of the right kind of native food for them and the heat killed them....at least 10 babies that are close to teenagers have been found dead so far.....and now that the fires have killed so many humans they are obligated to do dramatic things to the Virgin Bush.....take out a lot of the undergrowth etc as it borders on the town.