Animals at Mogo Zoo rescued by staff amid raging bushfires in Australia

Staff at the Mogo Zoo, Australia have been working since New Year's Eve to ensure that all animals would be safe from the encroaching bushfire. As the blaze from the New South Wales south coast has already decimated the local area, it was now heading directly for the animal facility. However, all precautionary measures were put in place before the bushfire warning was even released. 

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The staff at the zoo, however, was also helped by the former federal MP Emma Husar, who set up a GoFundMe for the zoo. According to international media reports, the funding page was also able to raise approximately $30,000, which has been used to buy a generator, water, firefighting pump and animal food. While speaking to an international media outlet, the zoo director, Chad Staples said that they have been overwhelmed by the support but their hard work to get more than 200 exotic animals safe isn't over. He further also added that the zoo is in desperate need of power generators, fuel and water as they have already depleted all the water stores that they had. 

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According to reports, the zoo started putting water everywhere they could to wet everything that could become fuel. Lions, tigers, gorillas, orangutans were also sent into their night dens to keep them calm, while giraffe and zebra stayed in their paddocks, however, the zoo provided them access to everywhere so they could decide where they went.

Species affected by bushfires

According to international media reports, the wildlife rescue services have rescued some of the kangaroos and treated them for burnt feet pads, however, they have estimated that millions of animals have already been killed by the bushfires. According to reports, many species including kangaroos, koalas, wallabies, possums, wombats and echidnas have been affected by the wild bushfires and koalas are feared to be among the hardest hit, with an estimated 30 per cent of just one koala colony on the country's northeast coast thought to be lost.

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