Bush fires: Wildlife toll mounts

The Royal National Park has been extensively damaged

By BBC News Online's Kate McGeown

Tens of thousands of wild animals are feared to have died in the bush fires sweeping through the Australian state of New South Wales.

More than 740,000 acres of forest and farmland have already been burnt, and many thousands of koalas, kangaroos and other animals have been trapped in the inferno.

Birds in the Blue Mountain area to the west of Sydney are literally falling out of the sky

There are worries that the effect on Sydney's wildlife could be worse than the 1994 bush fires, which eradicated many species from the area.

According to the Wildlife Information and Rescue Services (WIRES), few animals have been rescued since the fires began.

"Sadly, we're not getting anywhere near the number of rescued animals we were hoping for," WIRES spokeswoman Carol MacDougall told BBC News Online.

Endangered species

The heaviest losses are expected in the 40,000-acre Royal National Park, in the southern suburbs of Sydney - Australia's oldest national park, and the world's second oldest after Yellowstone in the US.

Nearly 80% of the park was affected by the 1994 fires, and the forest had still not fully recovered before the latest blaze. Carol MacDougall said that this year's fire could well be even worse, as the situation is exacerbated by storms and changeable winds.

"The fires burn over a percentage of an area, and then - because of the weather - they burn the area again from a different angle," she said.

Many animals have been injured in the bush fires

An estimated 100 species disappeared from the Royal National Park in the 1994 blaze, and there are fears that the same could happen this time. Experts are especially worried about the park's endangered species such as the fire-tailed finch.

"The fires have been so extensive it's impossible to estimate how many species have been lost," said Carol MacDougall.

While some of the park's inhabitants like the 2,500 deer may have a chance to outrun the blaze, many larger animals, such as koalas and wombats are too slow to escape.

Australia's forests, dominated by eucalyptus and other oil-based trees, burn quickly and easily.

"Koalas don't move fast and they tend to climb to the top of trees, but these trees are highly flammable and explode in the fire storms," said Carol MacDougall.

Smoke pollution

Even if they survive the flames, the animals are in danger of falling victim to starvation or the high levels of smoke pollution generated by the blaze.

Kangaroos are swift but koalas struggle to escape

ABC News reported on Wednesday that Sydney's pollution levels are now five times the Environment Protection Authority's acceptable limit.

According to WIRES, birds in the Blue Mountain area to the west of Sydney are literally falling out of the sky due to smoke inhalation and stress.

Domestic pets and livestock are also at risk, and the animal charity RSPCA is concentrating its efforts on rescuing animals from buildings and farmland in the path of the flames.

"We are urging people to move their pets and livestock to safer ground before their property is in danger," said RSPCA spokeswoman Jilea Carney.

Many thousands of livestock are already thought to have died - with 2,000 sheep killed in one blaze in Yeoval.

But the true animal casualty figures are impossible to assess until the fires finally die down.

"As much as we would like to, we can't go into the affected areas while the fires are still burning," said Carol MacDougall, "so it's absolutely impossible to estimate the casualties".