Unprecedented Australian wildfires have extracted a heavy toll from the continent’s unique wildlife, with an estimated 1 billion animals killed, 10.7 million hectares (approximately 41,300 square miles) burned on the east coast, and more than 150 fires still burning in two states alone, according to news reports and the Australian government.
News reports featuring shocking images of injured and dead wildlife, such as kangaroos, koalas, and birds, have dominated headlines in Australia.
“It’s difficult to comprehend the impact that it’s having,” says Natasha Speight, a koala disease researcher and veterinarian at the University of Adelaide in South Australia, whose study populations of koalas have been affected by the fires.
There are particular concerns for the koalas found on Kangaroo Island, off the coast of South Australia, which are unique in being the only known population of koalas in Australia that is free from chlamydia—a major disease contributor to koala death.
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