This bushfire season we’ve lost a staggering one billion animals, with that figure only expected to rise.
It’s a haunting number, and is particularly distressing when you consider the sheer vulnerability of a wild animal.
But among the confronting images we’ve all seen of dying, dead and desperate animals in recent weeks, there have also been incredible tales of strength, compassion and hope.
For months, rescuers have been working tirelessly to protect and save animals caught in Australia’s bushfires. These are just a few of their stories.
Angel, the miracle cat.
Angel’s family were forced to flee without her when their property in the Bega Valley caught alight, after she ran into nearby bushland as they were evacuating.
Somehow, she survived seven days in the middle of the firestorm, before making it back to her owners – singed but okay. Ben, her human, thinks she might have sought shelter down a wombat hole.
Angel, you are a miracle cat and we love you.
The car full of koalas.
This bunch of injured koalas were saved by two heroic cousins.
The teenagers filmed their journey as they loaded several koalas into their car on Kangaroo Island, sharing details of their rescue mission on Reddit.
“This is our little koala rescue,” a voice off camera says and MY GOSH, we are so in awe.
Watch the rescue here. Post continues after video.
The koalas rescued by a firey.
An image of six little shell-shocked koalas in a hallway is probably one you’ve seen on your feeds.
In December these guys were rescued in the Adelaide Hills by a firefighter who paused his fight on the flames to whisk them off to safety.
“Amazing work by a man named Adam and his mates who pulled these guys out of harms way at Cudlee Creek and into safety,” Janelle Michalowski wrote on Facebook alongside a photo of the scared koalas.
Patsy, the hero farm dog.
Six-year-old kelpie-border collie Patsy is a very good girl.
She’s been hailed a hero for helping to save a flock of sheep from the bushfires.
Her owner explains (on Patsy’s Instagram, of course) that she helped to round up the flock and get them to safety as the flames bared down on their farm in Corryong, Victoria.
“Patsy waited with him [one of her humans] until the fire got close enough to fight with a tractor and water pump,” it reads on social media.
“I’d have been stuffed without Patsy,” owner Stephen Hill told SBS News.
“She’s earned front-seat privileges for the rest of her life.”
Bear, the hero koala dog.
Speaking of heroes, THIS GUY.
Bear has a very important job – he’s a koala detection dog and has been very busy saving his friends up and down the east coast of Australia.
As a pup, Bear was abandoned due to his OCD, but now even actor Tom Hanks knows his name – and wants to make a movie about him.
We’ll be in the front row Bear. Promise.
The man out in the bush searching for sick animals.
Meet Patrick Boyle.
The Mallacoota local is on a solo mission to save as many injured wildlife as he can.
The 22-year-old told the Today Show: “I’m a hunter – I’m one of the last people that others would expect to help these animals. Farmers, hunters and workers are the ones out there actually taking action right now.”
He's saved seven koalas, and yes, the world does need more Patricks.
The cyclist interrupted by a koala.
Anna Heusler was riding with a group of friends in the Adelaide Hills when they came across a koala in the middle of the road.
"This koala walked right up to me as I was descending and climbed up onto my bike while I gave him water," she wrote on Instagram.
"There were about a dozen cyclists around me watching this (all men) and several commented that it was genuinely the best thing they've witnessed. What a truly wonderful experience."
More firefighters just being legends.
The kindness our firefighters are showing for our wildlife is melting our souls.
From Dean, who let a ringtail possum take a nap in his helmet:
A possum and her baby, having some cuddles.
SHE'S TRYING TO PULL HIS POCKET OVER HER FACE.
This police officer and firefighter helped rescue a possum and her baby who climbed underneath a patrol vehicle.
The wildlife carers doing SO MUCH good for our amazing native animals.
Finally, here's a compilation of our amazing rescuers looking after injured animals.
To help the animals affected by the bushfires.
Donate to WIRES, who you can find them here.
Donate to Wildlife Victoria, who you can visit here.
Donate or adopt a koala at the Port Macquarie Koala Hospital, here.
Feature image: Getty/Twitter.
To support those affected by Australia's devastating bushfire crisis, you can donate to the Australian Red Cross disaster relief and recovery fund. Your money will go towards supporting thousands of people in evacuation centres, emergency assistance including cash grants to people who have lost their homes, psychological first aid, and helping communities prepare for future disaster.
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