Thinking about those affected by the Australian fires

[Freida]

This debate is going on in the states too. Native Americans managed forests with controlled burns - the ash fed the trees they wanted to keep and it removed underbrush so there was less fuel.

Then the white man came along and insisted he knew better and screwed it all up. So between the miss management and the droughts we now have massive forest fires. Hopefully it's part of Mother Nature resetting the planet as she tries to get ahead of that non existent climate change

 

[LuckiLee]

They do controlled burns in the Everglades too.

 

[MrMoonlight]

Such an awful scene so much death and destruction. I saw a panda struggling in the forested flames trying to escape while trying to put the flame out on his furr. Why the f*ck would they show that shit. Sickening, still fill awful from seeing that. I had been trying to avoid images or talk of it on TV.

 

[blackemerald1]

saw a panda struggling in the forested flames trying to escape while trying to put the flame out on his furr. Why the f*ck would they show that shit. Sickening, still fill awful from seeing that. I had been trying to avoid images or talk of it on TV.

^They're showing lots of Koala bears on fire, etc. There is no way to reconcile the number of native animals that have been lost to these fires.

So far untold numbers of sheep, cattle, chickens and other livestock have been destroyed or injured too.

^I agree with you @MrMoonlight - there is no reason whatsoever to show the dead and dying like that. It's very traumatising and what does it achieve? The person broadcasting that gets some advertising revenue?

 

[barefoot]

Heartbroken for the ongoing devastating situation in Australia. Thinking of everyone on the forum who is living there or in some other way affected.

I feel very impotent watching the news - it doesn’t feel anywhere near enough but, in the absence of knowing what else I can do from here in the UK, I’d like to make a donation to help in some small way.

Anyone have any ideas re where best to support? My Facebook feed is full of links for all sorts of Australian charities to send money to at the moment, but I’m not sure they’re all legit.

Sorry if this has already been covered - I haven’t managed to read the entire thread yet.

Take care everyone.

 

[Sideways]

I know that Red Cross is doing a lot of work on the ground with people who have been evacuated and those who have lost homes.

But @ms spock is helping out with the toll on our native animals and might know where best to direct donations there...??

 

[Deanna]

The news said the fires are killing many animals.( that's awful) I'm heartbroken for the Australians that are affected by these fires! I'm utterly without words for Australia itself. I just can't believe these fires are still going! So ?. We had hard rain that lasted for half a day and now we're frozen in. I just wish this kind of was in Australia to put these fires out!

 

[ms spock]

500 million or half a billion of animals have died. One of my friends has been on deployment for 19 days straight. We could have gone in and captured up animals like Koalas before it went through but due to a complete lack of governmental planning we did not have permission to do this. There's a lot of weeping going on.

Yesterday I did a workshop looking at the burns on Koalas and what can and cannot be saved. It was pretty full on. The really hard decisions are being made of what has a possibility of making it through and what is an instant euthanasia so they don't die a horrible death. I really struggled during this workshop. I came home and binge ate.

In one area they lost 85% of their Koala population.

Some folks in all the different wild care groups are sleeping in the cars so they are there the moment an injured animal is found. The firies said the sounds of the Koalas screaming as they burnt to death is bothering their sleep.

I have been taking over hotlines and information lines so the folks who were going to do their shift/s can move themselves, their families and the animals that they have in care elsewhere or be ready to flee.

I am in the background doing a lot of the grunt work so the folks that have high levels of expertise are freed up.

In my area we are taking over flow from other groups who are currently have more fires near them. It changes from day to day. We have had weeks of smoke around us. So in one part of NSW they shipped out 400 baby bats so other groups can stabilise the ones that need the most care.

I belong to multiple groups along the groups so I have access to all types of Scientific Evidenced based research training. The Vet that spoke yesterday was brilliant.

So there's lots of groups I will get a some URLS for you. Thanks for mentioning this @Sideways!

 

[ms spock]

I know a stack of folks that lost their homes and every thing. Just about everyone I talk to has someone in their family or friendship network that has lost a house. Because we are all more out of the city type folks.

I have a friend who was evacuated to that beach. She had no phone reception we didn't even know if she was alive or dead for days. Her job is really important.

I have friends who are on day 19 or day 33 of deployment.

They are all bone weary. Everyone is so exhausted.

Wildlife carers are 24/7 and have been for months. September and December were really, really tough. But it has gotten worse. Some of them just sleep in their cars at the sites. Everyone is 24/7 there is no choice.

And there is no end in sight.

We have all this overseas assistance on offer but there are no invites for them to come when we desperately need all the help that we can get. So many more animals could be saved if we had the money and resources. We so need the money. I have been making donations myself because I know they need saline IV bags, all emergency stuff that needs to be on the ground. They don't have enough. We are getting the overflow of animals and we are running out of money and resources. So everyone is doing it strapped. We are becoming so creative work arounds but it does mean animals are being euthanased because Animal Wildlife literally don't have enough pain relief for them or resources to treat their wounds. There's a lot of quiet weeping going on.

We have to check which roads are closed. All the time we are watching those fires near folks we know and where wildlife folks might need to go to rescue animals. I don't want to send someone out on a rescues that could lead to their death.

There's been smoke around us for a couple of months now. The smoke in the air is making it hard to breathe. We are wearing masks at times.

I stopped writing in my diary because I didn't want to record all this. It's just too much.

When we went down to Sydney - well the day before all but one road was closed due to fires - it's scary. So much smoke in Sydney, the Illawarra and all the country we went through. 100s of kms burnt black to a crisp. We have to wear masks on and off now. The smoke is so thick you had to drive slowly.

Wherever we are B constantly monitors the fires in all areas. Then I ring folks and let them know which roads are blocked.

A change in wind is huge at this time.

I keep stepping up to the plate as much as I can because it just has to be done.

On Friday folks rang with fruit to donate, and netting to donate I just jumped in the car and went and got it and then went and distributed them. Otherwise they could be sitting in a shed for weeks.

Everyone is helping out. Even folks that generally wouldn't. There is no choice. We have to do it.

If I had the energy I would rang a PR campaign to cease and desist with Water Theft - that combined Climate Change means we are a tinderbox. The trees have no bore water to draw moisture from. It' f*cking ridiculous! But I am just way too tired.

Some days I am at 5-6 different destinations. You just have to do what needs to be done.

Yesterday at another workshop I was asked to deliver some supplies to another wildlife group I said of course and the woman started to cry because she is so tired.

I am also cooking up food and delivering it wherever I go. Everyone knows someone who has family fighting fires, co-ordinating and all the other hundreds of things to be done. So I give them food.

But everyone is tired and stressed and you don't talk about it. Because you will fall in a heap and you don't have time to do that.

Every now and then I have comfort eating day and watch TV but even I can't do that because there is just too much to be done.

With everything burnt there's no foliage available so even if we save animals lives where can we release them back into the wild there is no food. We have been threading two dozen apples on on wire for the bats we place these 2m off the ground in the colonies. All the apples are gone in a bout 10 minutes that is how hungry the bats are.

So yeah each day you get asked to do more so you step up to the plate because you have to.

I don't even live in one of the places that has been seriously compromised by fires. The closest fire was 12 kilometres so they are not that close to us, except if the wind changes, but the disturbing effects spill over everywhere.

 

[ms spock]

Anyway a lot of Australians are really suffering from the fires. So all good wishes are greatly appreciated. I will generally say that folks overseas are really worried about us. Good and cheery wishes do mean a lot.

 

[ms spock]

@barefoot @Sideways

The most tragic thing is having to euthanase viable animals due to a lack of resources. Folks are not doing well.

Most of the Wildlife groups who have been burnt out have no phone lines, mobiles or contact details. The president of this organisation Wildcare asks if you want the donation to go to the Wildlife Animal Carers that are directly effected by the fires to put FIRES in the donation and it will be set aside for the smaller groups that unlike WIRES won't get government or public funding.

Dead Link Removed

I work, train and help out with these folks. The animal husbandry is to a high standard and the strategic thinking to collect money for the groups which are around certain critically endangered species but don't have a big online presence, if any, but their work is crucial to the survival of certain species which we don't mention due to poachers etc is clever..

So there's convoys going down to assist, and a surge of animals going up to us and down the coast to Victoria from what I am hearing.

We need to rebuild all types of enclosures and build new ones for Koalas that might be in care for 8-12 months recovery times etc etc etc.

So if anyone is interested I would recommend this as a way to get money to the actual wildlife carers in the direst need..

Because of my skills base I belong to multiple groups across multiple species. I am most fortunate to live not far from 3 excellent Wildlife Vet Hospitals.

 

[ms spock]

I had been trying to avoid images or talk of it on TV.

Yeah avoid that but know behind the scenes there are thousands of Australians working 24/7 to save a whole range of species. We are sharing and doing everything under the sun. Folks are just being amazing.

I went to an Advanced Wound and Burn Care course recently. I did Advanced Koalas on the weekend. Everyone is skilling up and just going out to assist.