Since November 11, 2019, a small bush fire started in the Ravensbourne area, which is by Toowoomba. Ever since that day, there has been a drastic drought in Australia, causing some places not to have a single drop of water. The fire in November 2019 spread through over 49,000 acres of land.
Due to the fire in November, it caused that part of Australia to go through a drought and potentially start another fire. That is what exactly happened throughout January 2020. These fires have stretched upon the whole east coast of Australia, already killing 24 people and many as half a billion animals.
Chris Barton, who is a veterinarian, has been tasked with the horrendous job of having to deal with these injured animals. According to CNN, it states, “The 70-year-old holds a .22 caliber rifle. He’s been forced to turn on critically injured and suffering kangaroos. He wants to cry.” Chris Barton has been a vet for 40 years and he has put many animals down before, but this time it has caused him to have “nightmares” because of this incident with the kangaroos’ third degree burns.
In addition, the conditions of the fires spreading through the continent for months have caused the climate to change drastically. It also caused homes to be destroyed and towns to be wiped out. Since November 11, 2019, to present day, it went from 49,000 acres burned to now 17.9 million acres burned down throughout the country. Most of the bushlands, forests, and national parks where most of the animals live are going extinct, including the Koala bear.
Fortunately, CNN believes that when the rain does come and Australia comes out of the long drought, most of the bushland could quickly recover. In the end, the Australia wildfires have destroyed most of the wildlife and almost the whole country, and it’s still far from over.