“There’s a lot of mental and emotional trauma that these animals have gone through,” says Kelly Donithan, disaster response specialist at Humane Society International (HSI).
“I can only imagine how terrifying the fires were for an animal and especially a koala that is relatively slow-moving. Very little options to escape what was happening,” Donithan continues.
She arrived at Kangaroo Island in Australia with her team at the beginning of January. In the weeks they were there, they helped animals in need, along with other organizations.
What will happen to animals that are still recovering is not clear yet. “A lot of those decisions haven’t been made just yet. It’s going to be a case by case.”
More than one billion animals have died in the fires in Australia. High temperatures combined with months of severe droughts caused massive bushfires across the country.
Listen to Kelly Donithan about her experiences at Kangaroo Island.
