People made koala mittens for animals whose paws were burned in bushfires

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By VT

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A number of kind-hearted volunteers have reportedly made special mittens for the animals whose paws have been burned as a result of bushfires.

According to a recent report by Reuters, the recent bushfires have ravaged around 2.5 million acres of farmland and bushland on Australia’s east coast, killing four people and destroying hundreds of homes.

Check out this video all about a woman who risked her life to save a koala from the fire: 

However, the same report states that the impact upon the environment has also been profound. Already, the country’s koala populations have been seriously affected by the flames, with more than 350 of the marsupials feared killed in one major habitat alone.

With local Australian residents discovering a number of injured and dehydrated animals lying in the burnt-out plains, some animal-lovers have taken it upon themselves to make mittens and pouches for the unfortunate marsupials to snuggle up in. The-non profit group The Rescue Collective has been collecting and distributing to domestic rescue and wildlife hospital services in an attempt to save more animals.

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Speaking to ABC Radio Brisbane, Rescue Collective organizer Nicole Blums stated:  "If it’s an animal that’s lived in the bush they’re ending up in wildlife hospitals at the moment. Reptiles, koalas, joeys, snakes are all being found by people either trying to escape the fires or being caught in them."

She added: "We have had people knitting koala mittens for burnt pads and sewing pouches for marsupials. People are so passionate to help the animals, they want to save our national emblems and they want to do whatever they can to help."

In an interview with Reuters, Romane Cristescu, an ecologist at The University of the Sunshine Coast,) stated: "With climate change, habitat loss and diseases, koalas are just facing too many threats. Those fires are just one of the many things threatening them so we really need to be better at protecting them."

If you'd like to help out koala bears affected by the bushfires, then please consider donating to this fundraiser.