Aerial food drops to help Kangaroo Island’s starving animals following the region’s inferno
Aerial food drops will begin on Kangaroo Island next week to help save the region’s starving wildlife, after animals lost huge swathes of habitat in the inferno.
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Food and water is being dropped to Kangaroo Island’s wildlife, with animals battling to survive in decimated habitat.
The State Government has announced it will next week begin aerial drops with the National Parks and Wildlife Service SA plane.
Kangaroo pellets would help feed the marsupials but experts were also looking at more specific foods needed for threatened species, such at the Kangaroo Island dunnart.
Environment and Water Minister David Speirs the Government was working hard to save the remaining wildlife affected by the island’s blazes.
“The food drops are a short-term measure until the burnt environment regenerates naturally and grasses grow to provide food for many surviving animals,” Mr Speirs said.
“However, the feeding of wildlife needs to be done carefully and sensitively to avoid unintended outcomes, especially on Kangaroo Island where we need to be mindful of what is brought on to the island.”
About 150kg of food would be carried on the plan at a time.
Land-based food drops were already underway and the RSPCA would co-ordinate these for the next three months.
“The RSPCA have an order for 5 tonnes of kangaroo pellets to be delivered next week, plus we may have the capability to source some surplus food from Cleland Wildlife Park,” Mr Speirs said.
Thousands of native animals have died in the Kangaroo Island inferno; among the species most threatened are the Kangaroo Island dunnart and glossy black-cockatoo, both found only in the region.
RSPCA South Australia chief executive Paul Stevenson said wildlife rescuers were already finding animals in “extremely poor condition” because of a lack of food and water.
“With so many areas still not accessed – in particular the now devastated Flinders Chase National Park – our fear is these animals being found are the tip of the iceberg,” he said.
The organisation has warned of a “second wave” of mass wildlife deaths, yesterday launching a recruitment drive for up to 120 new volunteers to distribute food and water.
For details, head to rspcasa.org.au/ki-bushfires-plan/