Aussie Choppers Are Dropping Off Food For Starving Animals Who Survived Bushfires

As the Australian bushfire crisis continues to receive more attention, more and more international organizations are now teaming up to put an end to the devastating fires and help the millions of animals affected by the calamity. The last to join the cause are the Wildfire Service and the NSW National Parks, which jointly launched last weekend the “Operation Rock Wallaby” in an aim to save Australia’s marsupial population.

The number of animals killed by the Australian bushfires currently stands at an estimated one billion. While more than a million others have survived the crisis, they are still at risk of death due to fatal injuries and hunger.

In the framework of the Operation Rock Wallaby, the Wildfire Service and NSW National Parks are sending aircrafts to feed the countless animals that are still starving because of the bushfire crisis. Since its launch, several other governments and organizations have already joined the cause, including the New South Wales government and Animals Australia.

Last weekend, the New South Wales government started dropping thousands of kilograms of sweet potatoes and carrots from choppers to feed the animals left in the wild and give them a better chance of survival. The Animals Australia has also been sending aircrafts to aid the injured ones in regional Victoria.

The food-drops are reportedly focusing on the state’s colonies of brush-trailed rock wallabies in the Capertree and Wolgan Valleys, Yengo National Park, the Kangaroo Valley, and around Jenolan, Exley Wild Rivers and Curracubundi National Parks. As of now, at least 2,200 kg of fresh vegetables have been dropped by the organizations across the affected areas.

According to New South Wales Environment Minister Matt Kean, the wallaby colonies have dramatically declined in the past several years. While many of these animals managed to escape the bushfires, the rest are now facing a food crisis due to limited food supply.

“The wallabies typically survive the fire itself, but are then left stranded with limited natural food as the fire takes out the vegetation around their rocky habitat,” he said. “The wallabies were already under stress from the ongoing drought, making survival challenging for the wallabies without assistance,” he added.

The national government and organizations joining the cause have vowed to keep an eye on the native species as they take part in the post-bushfire recovery process.