Koalas have become global face of Australian bushfire crisis

The dawning situation in Australia is impossible to ignore as the devastating bushfires have triggered extreme heatwaves in the country. Australia is battling one of the hottest days of the season with temperatures rising up to 40-degree Celcius. The current atmosphere down under has made life harder for the wildlife living in the affected areas. Capital city Canberra had banned fireworks from its official New Year's Eve celebration but Prime Minister Scott Morrison allowwd it to happen in Sydney. The decision of Scott Morrison to celebrate New Year's Eve with fireworks has attracted a lot of backlash from Australian citizens.

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The global face of Australian bushfire

If there is one indigenous creature that has become the global face of the current crisis, they are the Koalas. Australia is known for its kangaroos, but Koalas have taken the center stage in the ongoing crisis and have become the global face for Australia. Koalas have suffered the most in the ongoing bushfires across Australia. It is believed that at least 8,000 koalas have lost their lives during the current bushfire season and up to one-third of their habitat on the north coast of the state may have fled due to rampaging blaze. 

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Thousands of hectares of koala habitat across northern New South Wales and southeast Queensland have been ravaged in the recent bushfires. Koalas have been identified as endangered species in Queensland, New South Wales and it is largely due to habitat clearing. It's not just Koalas but experts from the University of Sydney fear around 480 million animals, including 8,000 koalas have been killed in the blaze.

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About five million hectares (12.35 million acres) of land have burned nationwide over the past few months, with 12 people confirmed dead and more than 1,000 homes destroyed. More than 120 bushfires are still ablaze across the state including eight at an emergency level and crews have been concerned that some blazes in Victoria could jump the border into New South Wales fuelled by a southerly wind.

Read: Australia Bushfires: Two Killed, One Feared Dead In New South Wales