AUSTRALIAN NEWS: KOALA “FUNCTIONALLY EXTINCT” AFTER SEVERE BUSHFIRES

THE east coast Australian bushfires, impacting vast areas of New South Wales and Queensland, are leading to the Australian koala now being declared as “functionally extinct.”

According to reports by Forbes, the bushfires have destroyed 80% of their habitat. An estimated 1,000 koalas have died in the recent fires, and the koala future is under serious threat.

The bushfires have so far this moth killed at least four people, burnt about 2.5 million acres of farmland and destroyed 300+ homes.

In the Port Macquarie region alone, an estimated 70% of the koala population was wiped out in recent weeks, due to the raging fires.

A baby koala with bandaged feet… another of the precious patients at the Port Macquarie Koala Hospital, rescued from bushfires across the area. @9NewsSyd pic.twitter.com/hJN5arkPSa

— Lizzie Pearl (@lizziepearl) November 19, 2019

“We’re hoping it’s not as bad as that, but because of the intensity of the fire and the way koalas behave during fire, we’re not holding out too much hope,” Koala Hospital president Sue Ashton tells the Associated Press’ Rod McGuirk. She calls the loss “absolutely devastating.”

WATCH Woman rescue a koala scorched from bushfire.

Woman risks her own safety to rescue a koala from raging bushfires in Australia. More here: https://t.co/BVk7ieSqgC pic.twitter.com/ksT75Jm8zp

— Reuters (@Reuters) November 20, 2019

Euro Weekly News has been able to confirm that the rescued koala was evacuated to the Port Macquarie koala sanctuary.