The entire world is watching Australia right now with the hope that this disastrous wild bushfire comes to an end sooner than later. There are many fast burning bushfires that are creating catastrophic circumstances for the Australian wildlife. As of today it is estimated that well over 1 billion animals have fallen victim to the 2019/20 Australian bushfires. The fires are still raging and the impact is going to be detrimental to the ecology of Australia. People from around the world have been donating their time, money and services to those in need in Australia. I personally saw a page that had received over 20 million dollars donated to organizations aiding the impact of the enormous disaster. One family that is making a very notable impact is the Irwin family. They are stewards and spokespeople for all animals around the world but especially animals native to Australia. What they have done and continue to do is nothing short of incredible and heroic to say the least.
Everyone around the world is familiar with the late Steve Irwin “The Crocodile Hunter” and his family Terri (wife) Robert (son) and Bindi (daughter)
Steve passed away due to an accident on the job but his legacy lives on and his family is hard at work to continue his work and share his passion with the world.
Terri, Robert and Bindi run a wildlife hospital and are obviously incredibly busy right now saving the lives of tens of thousands of animals who have fallen victim to the wildfires.
The bushfires have destroyed millions of acres of land and destroyed the habitat of thousands of species.
People are literally filling up their cars with as many koala bears as they can and bringing them to animal hospitals and sanctuaries because of how many are being lost to these fires. The Irwins have said that koala bears may be endangered because of these fires.
Australia’s environment minister says that up to 30% of koalas were killed in New South Wales mid-north coast fires, a devastating blow to the population of Australia’s iconic animal.
Despite all of this tragedy, the Irwin family has stepped up to confront the issue head on and is working around the clock to mitigate the effects of the disaster. Their hospital has officially treated over 90,000 animal patients.
Sadly not all animals can be saved. “Blossom the possum was admitted to the Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital after being caught in one of the bushfires burning in other parts of Queensland. We have such an incredible team who work day and night to protect gorgeous animals like Blossom. Devastatingly this beautiful girl didn’t make it even after working so hard to save her life. I want to thank you for your kind words and support. This is the heart-wrenching truth, every day is a battle to stand up and speak for those who cannot speak for themselves. Now more than ever we need to work together to make a difference and protect our Mother Earth”. – Bindi Irwin
Over 16 million acres have been destroyed and at least 24 people have lost their lives.
Koala bears were listed as threatened earlier in 2019 and may be listed as endangered this year.
Not only koalas are being affected. Thousands of species have lost their homes and all their food sources. That is if they were lucky enough to survive the fires.
Robert Irwin recently gave an interview where he was fighting back the tears while discussing the impact of the Australian bushfires
He is a spitting image of his father and his love for all animals is just as strong. The whole Irwin family has moved mountains to help out the animals of the world.
Comments from people around the world have been flooding the internet in support of the Irwin family:
All of the animals who have suffered are being cared for by Steve Irwin now.
They truly love what they do, no matter how hard it is.
Their inspiration has spread around the world.
I’m sure he would be devastated.
With a tear in his eye.
We definitely need more people like the Irwin family in this world. Animals cannot speak for themselves. They are so important to the planet. We are their last hope.
The love that the Irwin family expresses is absolutely infectious.
They have a long hard fight ahead of them.
The Irwin family is one of the most inspirational families this world has known. We absolutely need more people like them today more than ever. The crisis in Australia is far from over and the effects are going to continue for a long time. Food sources have been completely destroyed so coming back from this is going to take a lot of time and a lot of work. The Irwin family is making a huge dent and has no plans to stop anytime soon.