Over $90,000 has been raised for the Port Macquarie Koala Hospital after fires devastated bushland that served as home to a large breeding population of koalas.
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According to the hospital, up to 350 koalas were killed by the Crestwood fires, with fears that further koalas could die as a result of dehydration. The GoFundMe page started by the hospital states that approximately 75% of the bushland hit by the fire was “prime koala habitat,” and contained “one of the most genetically diverse groups in Australia and is of enormous national significance.”
Punters have so far raised $90,073 in under two weeks, with the money going towards finding and treating the remaining koala population:
The Port Macquarie Koala Hospital is an animal welfare, scientific research and education facility that will send out and conduct search and rescue exercises in the hope of finding surviving koalas. Any surviving koalas will be brought into the Port Macquarie Koala Hospital for assessment and treatment.
One way to help surviving koalas and other wildlife is to provide access to water to reduce further deaths from dehydration.
The Port Macquarie Koala Hospital would like to raise money to purchase and distribute automatic drinking stations which will assist in helping koala and wildlife survival.
Money raised will be used to distribute the drinking stations in the fire affected region. If enough money is raised, it will distribute to other significant koala habitat areas across the State.
With rising temperatures and increasingly dry conditions worsening across the State, access to water is essential for survival.
In an update on November 5, the hospital said that they had begun searching the area for injured koalas, finding seven and bringing them back for treatment.
Source: Port Macquarie Koala Hospital.
You can find out more information about the Port Macquarie Koala Hospital and what they do right here.
