Baby koala named 'Hope' to honour animals died in Australia bushfires

A zoo in Miami has named a baby koala 'Hope' to honour the animals that have died in the ongoing bushfires in Australia. The baby koala that was born in May last year came out of its mother's pouch on January 10. According to local media reports, the baby koala is bonding well with its mother. The Miami Zoo said that this was the first time in 28 years that a surviving koala was born in the wildlife park. 

Baby koala named 'Hope'

According to media reports, Miami Zoo has donated $10,000 to Zoos Victoria Bushfire Emergency Wildlife Fund to help animals in Australia. Miami Zoo's conservation expert said that koalas feed on eucalyptus trees which are prone to fire. Koalas cannot run like kangaroos, hence most of them fell victim to the wildfires.

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According to Steven Selwood of South Australia Veterinary Emergency Management, there are only 9,000 koalas remaining out of the 46,000 that were thought to be on the island before this year's bushfire. The bushfire this season is seemingly unprecedented as an estimated 480 million animals and 1,000 homes have been affected by the inferno. 

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Australia has been gripped by ravaging bushfire since September last year and the damage has been so dreadful that it is being dubbed as the worst in recorded history. Animal protection groups from across the globe are involved in the rescue and recovery process of wildlife in Australia. Animal welfare groups like Wildlife Information, Rescue and Education Service (WIRES) and Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) are helping towards the process and accepting donations on their official websites.  

Read: 30 Animals Including Chimpanzees, Orangutans Die In German Zoo Fire