Australia is in the midst of one of the worst bushfire crises the world has seen. Since September, entire communities have been engulfed by relentless heat and fires. The flames are showing no signs of slowing down - which means only one thing... death tolls are rising.
As more and more heartbreaking statistics surface, it's truly gut-wrenching.
But one Instagram model has come up with a rather innovative way to help. Kaylen, aka The Naked Philanthropist, decided to sell nudes in aid of the bushfires - and she's raised an incredible amount of money. However, no good deed goes unpunished - and Instagram has controversially taken down the model's account, but not before she raised an amazing amount of money.
Australia is being ravished by one of the worst bush fire crises the world has seen in decades.
Due to soaring temperatures and one of the worst droughts in years, the relentless fires have been burning since September. We're currently in January. Just let that sink in.New South Wales is suffering immensely at the moment.
NSW declared a state of emergency last month.
The raging fires have had a devastating impact...
The BBC reported that close to fifty bush fires continue to burn in populated coastal and inland regions to the city's north.Twenty-eight people have been confirmed to have died in the fires since they started...
And it's not just the flames themselves that are having deadly consequences...
The Australian fire services have been stretched to their limits.
Australia has even been forced to make a global call for help...
Other countries offered their assistance...
But even with assistance from overseas...
welcome to 2020. Australia is literally burning. 4,000 people have fled to Mallacoota beach as a bushfire bears dow… https://t.co/2H0VUuWWAp— Tom Warren (@Tom Warren)1577768890.0
People have been desperately fleeing to beaches for cover.
Australian Bushfires The surreal scene at Currarong in Jervis Bay with huge plumes from the northern flank of the… https://t.co/aB0ZUf6TYU— Liliane Breuning (@Liliane Breuning)1577965325.0
How long could the fires actually be burning for?
The fires have also had a devasting impact on wildlife.
And the latest statistics are some of the most alarming yet.
The country is totally unprepared for the devastation caused to its wildlife.
Science for Wildlife executive director Dr Kellie Leigh told the New South Wales upper house inquiry: "We're getting a lot of lessons out of this and it's just showing how unprepared we are.
"There's no procedures or protocols in place - even wildlife carers don't have protocols for when they can go in after fire."
Koalas have been amongst the hardest hit.
It's believed that at least a third of koalas in New South Wales alone have perished in the flames.But what's even more concerning...
Tracy Burgess, a volunteer at Wildlife Information, Rescue and Education Services (WIRES), explained how concerning it was that rescuers were not receiving as many animal patients as they expected.
"We're not getting that many animals coming into care. So, our concern is that they don't come into care because they're not there anymore, basically," she told Reuters.
And that's not all...
It's feared that animals that managed to survive the flames will need huge amounts of humanitarian assistance to get populations anywhere near back to what they used to be.Residents have even been trying to rescue helpless animals themselves.
Now let’s talk about the animals lost in this #Bushfire crisis. Rare and beautiful species, unique to Australia, e… https://t.co/FuXC7nS9k4— Dr. Meraiah Foley (@Dr. Meraiah Foley)1577914002.0
A staggering number of animals have perished in the fires.
Over one billion animals have died.
It's thought now over one billion mammals, birds, and reptiles have died since September.And one Instagram model has had an innovative idea to help.
In some ways, she's just another influencer.
Model Kaylen Ward said she raised at least $500,000 for Australia wildfires with nude photos - The Washington Post https://t.co/MUKCaaKe1q— THE NAKED PHILANTHROPIST (@THE NAKED PHILANTHROPIST)1578355914.0
And her latest move is highly topical.
She even included a helpful link.
Things took off fairly quickly.
Guys. Im so happy right now I am crying. We’ve officially donated $5,000 to save Australia. Thank you all so much!— THE NAKED PHILANTHROPIST (@THE NAKED PHILANTHROPIST)1578112787.0
Some donations were truly incredible.
Someone just donated $5,000! https://t.co/tqr1huodmX— THE NAKED PHILANTHROPIST (@THE NAKED PHILANTHROPIST)1578158094.0
Previously...
I CAN’T BELIEVE WE RAISED OVER HALF A MILLION DOLLARS omfg— THE NAKED PHILANTHROPIST (@THE NAKED PHILANTHROPIST)1578257070.0
2 days ago, Kaylen announced she had indeed raised one million dollars.
Would you believe me if I told you we raised an estimated $1million ðŸ˜ðŸ˜ðŸ˜ðŸ˜ðŸ˜â€” THE NAKED PHILANTHROPIST (@THE NAKED PHILANTHROPIST)1578365602.0
But it has come at a cost.
My IG got deactivated, my family disowned me, and the guy I like won’t talk to me all because of that tweet. But fuck it, save the koalas.— THE NAKED PHILANTHROPIST (@THE NAKED PHILANTHROPIST)1578206903.0
And many have made this point.
And she's not stopping there.
I have decided to continue the donations in a new direction by giving someone in the LA area a car. I have a 2009 F… https://t.co/xg1MWbSuyw— THE NAKED PHILANTHROPIST (@THE NAKED PHILANTHROPIST)1578287101.0