Irwins reach 90,000 animals saved milestone amid Australia’s raging bushfire disaster

The unfathomable loss of Australia’s wildlife is devastating, but the family of the late Steve Irwin has shared some truly inspiring news.

The scale of wildlife losses during Australia’s bushfire crisis is hard to comprehend.

According to researcher Chris Dickman from Sydney University, half a million animals including kangaroos, koalas, snakes, lizards and various bird species have perished since fires started burning at the beginning of the bushfire season.

The stories of animal rescue efforts – some by authorities and others by good Samaritans – have littered our social media feeds and helped lift the collective mood.

Now Australia’s most well-known wildlife warrior family has shared some good news during an otherwise miserable start to 2020.

Bindi Irwin, daughter of the late Steve Irwin, announced yesterday that the family’s Queensland-based wildlife hospital at Australia Zoo had treated its 90,000th patient.

She wrote that the hospital was taking animals from around the country but there’d been a surge in flying foxes being admitted from fire-ravaged regions.

“Some of the orphans are now being cared for by the team at the hospital until they’re big enough to go home and there’s no threat of fire,” she wrote, noting there’d been a spike in flying fox admissions upwards of “750 per cent”.

“Flying foxes are now being drastically affected by wildfires and we’re again seeing an influx of these beautiful animals from across the country.”

Bindi’s brother Bob shared a photograph of the hospital’s 90,000th patient, a platypus named “Ollie”.

“Over the last 16 years, the hospital has provided 24/7 wildlife rehabilitation and an incredible animal rescue service,” Bob wrote. “We’re so proud of this world-class facility.”

The family’s good work also requires continued funding. Bob wrote that “pressures” from “drought and bushfires” mean they need your help more than ever.

The good news, which made headlines around the world, comes as Australia continues to burn.

More than a million hectares have been scorched in Victoria, and of those, more than 800,000 are in the East Gippsland area.

In NSW, there are 136 fires still burning, with more than 69 uncontained, including a massive blaze southwest of Eden on the far south coast, which has torn across more than 140,000 hectares.

To help with injured wildlife, the Victorian Government has granted approval for veterinarians to travel to the fire zones at Mallacoota and East Gippsland.

To donate, visit wires.org.au or the Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital website.