Australian bushfires that had been raging since September last year finally died down in the first week of March 2020.?
More than a billion animals have reportedly been affected by the fires and the worst-hit is the koala population.
Nearly 10,000 koalas are estimated to have died in the Australian Bushfires according to the report released by the global conservation group International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW). That's 12 per cent of the animal's population in New South Wales (NSW).?
However, volunteers and authorities have been doing their best for months now, to ensure that the koalas that survived receive best medical care so that their health can be restored.?
Finally the Australian authorities are now releasing the rescued koalas back to their natural habitat. According to Mashable, ¡®the first four of the 12 rescued koalas from the Blue Mountains area have been sent to Kanangra-Boyd National Park in the state of New South Wales¡¯.?
Due to coronavirus, the remaining koalas residing? at Sydney's Taronga Zoo since January will be fast-tracked.?The koalas that are now being released back were rescued from the Blue Mountains region, known to house the most genetically diverse population of koalas.
In his press statement, Dr. Kellie Leigh, executive director of Science for Wildlife, said that assessment of the burnt area is going on so as to establish when these koalas can be sent back home after enough trees have grown. ¡°We will be radio-tracking them and keeping a close eye on them to make sure that they settle in OK,¡± he reportedly said.?
It is heartwarming to know that these guys have recovered and are ready to go back home!