Australian army vets treat koalas during fires

Wildfires ravaging Australia have taken a grisly toll on country's wildlife with hundreds of millions of wild animals believed to have been killed in blazes, along with thousands of livestock. Captain Garnett Hall, from Australian army, has been busy treating animals who have suffered burns, at Kangaroo Island Wildlife Park.

"It's a pretty grim picture. Unfortunately, re's a lot of wildlife, a lot of livestock and a few companion animals that have been affected by fires," Hall said.

Nearly one-third of island has been devastated by fires.

Located off coast of South Australia state, Kangaroo Island is about 50% larger than Rhode Island and home to 4,500 people and what was a thriving ecotourism industry.

Experts working on island say fires have killed thousands of koalas and kangaroos, and also have raised questions about wher any members of a mouse-like marsupial species that carries its young in a pouch have survived.

More than 110 Army Reservists are working with local authorities to provide assistance to community recovery efforts on Island, delivering tens of thousands of litres of potable water to replenish Kangaroo Island's supplies.

fires, fueled by drought and country's hottest and driest year on record, have been raging since September, months earlier than is typical for Australia's annual wildfire season.