Earth Equity News

Fires Brought Calamity to Australia's Wildlife. By Kristen Gelineau, AP, February 12, 2009. "Wildlife rescue officials worked frantically yesterday to help the animals that made it through Australia's worst-ever wildfires, but they said millions of animals likely perished in the inferno... Hundreds of burned, stressed and dehydrated animals -- including kangaroos, koalas, lizards and birds -- have been taken to shelters across the region. Rescuers have doled out antibiotics, pain relievers and fluids to the critters in a bid to keep them comfortable, but some of the severely injured were euthanized... In some of the hardest-hit areas, rescuers used vaporizing tents to help creatures whose lungs were burned by the searing heat and smoke. One furry survivor has emerged a star: A koala, nicknamed 'Sam' by her rescuers, was found moving gingerly on scorched paws Sunday. Firefighter David Tree offered the animal a bottle of water, which she eagerly accepted, holding Tree's hand as he poured water into her mouth -- a moment captured in a photograph seen around the world."