Large numbers of koalas and kangaroos came out of the 2020 Australian bushfires, most dehydrated, emaciated and badly burned. Of course there were no facilities to deal with such large numbers, so wildlife rescuers put to use this basic laundry item that we all use daily.
-----------
When the devastating wildlife fires hit Australia in 2019-20, the country was ill-prepared to deal with the massive amount of wildlife casualities.
Why all the laundry baskets?
As a vet who had worked in Australia for 15 years including training up vets & nurses to be ready for the next ‘big one’, this was admittedly a frustrating finding when I landed back in country. After all, with climate change the fire seasons are already getting hotter, starting sooner and ending later. There will likely be a ‘big one’ every few years on our current trajectory.
There's something in the washing
However, it is in times of restraints and limited resources when creativity and human ingenuity can help solve the most pressing of problems. People came together and gave their time, personal items and even homes to provide aid to the animals. The Australian army sent troops to help us build shelters and triage centres. The world sent their own firefighters to help battle the inferno. Knitting groups created mittens for koalas hands that had been burned, so that they could reach out to grab food and eat.
If we work together, we can indeed do great things to enact meaningful change.
