Fires are destroying millions of acres of bush in Australia, but the extent of the impact on wildlife is only just becoming apparent.

Volunteers in the burnt-out areas have been searching the bush for surviving animals. In the northwest of New South Wales, a few colonies of koalas have been saved.

Sue Brookhouse, of the local Wildlife Rescue Centre, said: "They were so dehydrated, and so hungry. The vet's got to come round and give them some more fluids.

Some koalas have suffered severe burns

"One koala's pads have been burnt off. The skin on her nose dropped off this morning. The edges of her ears will go. Her eyes have been burnt and she had a baby in her pouch which didn't survive because she stopped lactating."

Koala numbers were dropping sharply before the fires hit, but more have survived than first thought. Many found shelter and breathing spaces in the tops of trees or in burrows below the ground.

The public in Australia has been warned to take extra safety precautions. More hot weather has been forecast, and the threat from fires that continue to burn in rural areas is increasing.

Animal rescue teams have combed the area for surviving wildlife

Greg Pobar of Perth Fire Brigade: "Not only did it scare a lot of people, but those who fought the fire put themselves at great risk and that was quite a shock and they're exhausted."

Several lives have been lost, hundreds of properties burnt down, and whole communities have been devastated by the speed with which the fires have spread.

The clean up operation has only just begun, and temperatures above 100 degrees threaten new fires on most days.

In Sydney and the surrounding bush, pollution levels have been pushed to the highest on record and there is no sign of much-needed cooler weather and rain.
 

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