Irwins reach 90,000 animals saved milestone amid Australia's raging bushfire disaster

The Irwins have stepped up. Photo / Getty

The scale of wildlife losses during Australia's bushfire crisis is hard to comprehend.

According to researcher Chris Dickman from Sydney University, half a million animals including kangaroos, koalas, snakes, lizards and various bird species have perished since fires started burning at the beginning of the bushfire season.

The stories of animal rescue efforts – some by authorities and others by good Samaritans – have littered our social media feeds and helped lift the collective mood, reports news.com.au.

Now Australia's most well-known wildlife warrior family has shared some good news during an otherwise miserable start to 2020.

Bindi Irwin, daughter of the late Steve Irwin, announced yesterday that the family's Queensland-based wildlife hospital at Australia Zoo had treated its 90,000th patient.

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Our @AustraliaZoo Wildlife Hospital takes in animals from all over Australia. Hundreds of grey-headed flying foxes, a species listed as vulnerable, have been flown to Queensland after the rescue centre they were recovering in was at risk from fire and evacuated. Some of the orphans are now being cared for by the team at the hospital until they’re big enough to go home, and there’s no threat of fire. 🦇 In September, flying fox admissions to the hospital skyrocketed by over 750% due to drought conditions and lack of food. Flying foxes are now being drastically affected by wildfires and we’re again seeing an influx of these beautiful animals from across the country. This week, we treated our 90,000th patient. To cope with so many animals being admitted to the hospital, in 2019 we opened a sea turtle rehabilitation centre, sea snake ward and are about to complete a new bird recovery area, but it’s still not enough to keep up. We need to build a new ward for our patients. Wildlife Warriors from around the world are asking how they can help us save native wildlife, you can donate on our website www.wildlifewarriors.org , or support our fundraiser to start construction of our newest ward by visiting the link in my bio! 💚

A post shared by Bindi Irwin (@bindisueirwin) on Jan 4, 2020 at 2:04pm PST

She wrote that the hospital was taking animals from around the country but there'd been a surge in flying foxes being admitted from fire-ravaged regions.

"Some of the orphans are now being cared for by the team at the hospital until they're big enough to go home and there's no threat of fire," she wrote, noting there'd been a spike in flying fox admissions upwards of "750 per cent".

"Flying foxes are now being drastically affected by wildfires and we're again seeing an influx of these beautiful animals from across the country."

Bindi's brother Bob shared a photograph of the hospital's 90,000th patient, a platypus named "Ollie".

"Over the last 16 years, the hospital has provided 24/7 wildlife rehabilitation and an incredible animal rescue service," Bob wrote. "We're so proud of this world-class facility."

The family's good work also requires continued funding. Bob wrote that "pressures" from "drought and bushfires" mean they need your help more than ever.

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Blossom the possum was admitted to the #AustraliaZoo Wildlife Hospital after being caught in one of the bushfires burning in other parts of Queensland. We have such an incredible team who work day and night to protect gorgeous animals like Blossom. Devastatingly this beautiful girl didn’t make it even after working so hard to save her life. I want to thank you for your kind words and support. This is the heart-wrenching truth, every day is a battle to stand up and speak for those who cannot speak for themselves. Now more than ever we need to work together to make a difference and protect our Mother Earth. For more on how you can become a Wildlife Warrior visit www.wildlifewarriors.org 💙🙏🏼

A post shared by Bindi Irwin (@bindisueirwin) on Jan 3, 2020 at 2:38pm PST

The good news, which made headlines around the world, comes as Australia continues to burn.

More than a million hectares have been scorched in Victoria, and of those, more than 800,000 are in the East Gippsland area.

In NSW, there are 136 fires still burning, with more than 69 uncontained, including a massive blaze southwest of Eden on the far south coast, which has torn across more than 140,000 hectares.

To help with injured wildlife, the Victorian Government has granted approval for veterinarians to travel to the fire zones at Mallacoota and East Gippsland.