Robert Irwin Gets Tearful as He Talks About the Injuries Suffered by Animals in Bushfires

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.

There have been fires reported in every state, but New South Wales is truly taking a beating by bush fires and is undoubtedly the hardest hit. According to CNN, so far, in New South Wales alone, more than 900 houses have been destroyed.

What does this mean? Well, it grants “extraordinary powers” to the NSWRFS commissioner, including the authority to allocate government resources and direct government agencies in taking action, according to CNN.

The BBC reported that close to fifty bush fires continue to burn in populated coastal and inland regions to the city’s north.  

Including several volunteer firefighters.

Last month, the smoke was so bad in Sydney that air quality measured eleven times the “hazardous” level, CNN reports.

Firefighters all over the country have been tirelessly battling the formidable blazes and are struggling to contain them. Keep scrolling to see the heartbreaking pictures of the aftermath.

And it was Canada that was the first to respond and take action. The Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre, based in Winnipeg, answered the call for help after realizing the bush fire situation is expected to continue for many more weeks and gave up their Christmas to help fight the raging fires.

Including the U.S. and New Zealand, who have sent in more firefighters to try and help tackles the blazes.

There seems to be no end to the blazes. In total, more than 5.9 million hectares (14.6 million acres) have been burned, CNN reports. And those who escaped the flames have lost their homes, with all their possessions perishing to the flames.

And are left stranded awaiting evacuation. It’s a truly heartbreaking sight.

Sadly, Australia has only just entered summer, meaning temperatures could remain high for some weeks. In fact, temperatures usually reach their highest during January and February, so there may be no end in sight for months.

Several of Australia’s native species have been affected including kangaroos, koalas, wallabies, possums, wombats, and echidnas. Keep scrolling to see the latest snaps showing the true devastation the fires have had on the native wildlife.

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.
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“There’s no procedures or protocols in place – even wildlife carers don’t have protocols for when they can go in after fire.”

It’s believed that at least a third of Koalas in New South Wales alone have perished in the flames.

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.
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“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.
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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.

And its only set to get worse. But the number that surfaced this week is utterly heartbreaking.

Ecologists from the University of Sydney have said that it’s thought around 480 million mammals, birds, and reptiles have died since September.  

But, despite the devastating reality of what is happening to the country, not all hope is gone.

But there is one family, in particular, who have gone to exceptional measures to help the animals, birds, and reptiles of Australia.

The late wife and children of the Australian wildlife enthusiast, and overall legend, Steve Irwin.

And the family have dedicated their lives to continuing Steve’s legacy after his untimely death in 2006.

And have kept Steve’s pride and joy, Australia Zoo, up and running successfully.

Is Australia Zoo and it’s thousands of inhabitants safe from the deadly blaze?

And gave a lengthy insight into the incredible work the Irwins and the rest of the Australia Zoo team have done amid the deadly bushfire crisis.

Bindi wrote, “With so many devastating fires within Australia, my heart breaks for the people and wildlife who have lost so much. I wanted to let you know that we are SAFE. There are no fires near us @AustraliaZoo or our conservation properties.”

“Our Wildlife Hospital is busier than ever though, having officially treated over 90,000 patients.” 90,000 animals, birds, and reptiles. What an incredible accomplishment.

It’s what Steve would have wanted. “My parents dedicated our Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital to my beautiful grandmother.” She wrote, “We will continue to honor her by being Wildlife Warriors and saving as many lives as we can.”  

There are possums, birds, koalas, kangaroos, platypus, and many other types of animals and reptiles being cared for and nursed back to health at their purpose-built facility.

It is still an undeniably heartbreaking situation, and Steve’s youngest child, Robert, sixteen, became visibly emotional while discussing their work yesterday on live TV.

Robert, alongside his mom, Terri, appeared live on Australia’s Sunrise breakfast show to discuss the catastrophic effects the bushfires have had on the native wildlife.

“Their instinct is to go up,” Terri explained when asked about the Koala’s chances of survival. “Safety is in the top of the tree. But in the hot fire, the eucalyptus trees have so much oil in their leaves that they ignite and actually explode.”

“Being able to treat and help koalas is few and far between because they’re basically incinerated, which is absolutely heartbreaking.”

Robert stood alongside her, nodding solemnly and looking on the verge of tears.

“It’s definitely an ongoing issue and we’re just trying to do our best to help in any way we can,” Robert explained, as he fought back tears.

“But it’s a pretty tough situation. We’re absolutely heartbroken.” You can watch a snippet from their interview above.  

And many noted how Robert is a fine example to the younger generation.

Steve would be so proud.