Australian Zookeepers Take A Stand To Protect Hundreds Of Animals In New South Wales While Deadly Wildfires Advance

Jan 13, 2020 by apost team

Higher temps and drier weather are causing deadly bush fires through New South Wales and other parts of Australia. This is not just a local disaster, it threatens to be a global disaster.

Not only are local wild animals endangered by the raging fires, so are zoo animals. In many cases, zoos serve as small preserve, keeping alive pockets of endangered species that are largely dying out in the wild.

Zoo animals are especially vulnerable because they can't flee. The very enclosures that protect them most of the time serve as a trap during times of disaster and staff cannot simply release them into the wild even if they wanted to do so.

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Many of the animals have special diets that local flora and fauna would not support and many have lost their hunting or foraging skills after years of captivity. Even if they haven't, it would be a new kind of disaster to release them. Invasive species from other ecosystems that were never designed for this one have a long history of doing egregious harm in Australia.

Just east of Canberra, the Mogo Zoo is one such zoo. Among other things, it has the largest collection of primates in Australia. Not far from the coast of New South Wales, this important asset found itself in the line of fire as high winds blew the raging inferno in their direction. The zoo director, Chad Staples, and his staff decided to stand their ground in the face of the oncoming fire and protect the precious animals in their charge with their very lives if need be.

While nearby communities cleared out in the face of evacuation notices, the zoo staff began clearing brush, hosing things down so nothing was dry and making other critical preparations. They described the atmosphere like a battleground. Understandably, to them "It felt like Armageddon ... black as midnight with tinges of red.”

After doing everything in their power to reduce the flammability of the grounds, the next step was arranging safe quarters for every animal in their charge. Some of the smaller animals, like monkeys and red pandas, were moved to a house on the grounds.

Any animal in an enclosure that wasn't safe was relocated as necessary. Different rooms of the house were dedicated to different species to secure all the animals without causing new problems.

Animals that were larger and more dangerous were encouraged by staff to remain in their night dens and keep calm. This included such diverse species as lions, tigers and orangutans.

The staff reportedly did a fantastic job of keeping most animals calm. The giraffes and zebra were agitated, but apparently by unusual staff activity rather than by the oncoming firestorm. For now, the zoo has not lost a single animal. With a change in wind direction, they feel they have a bit of a reprieve, but they aren't fools. They know they aren't safe yet.

Like many Aussies, they are praying for rain as their best hope of seeing this rapidly and fully resolved. Meanwhile, they remain on high alert and in a state of readiness, preparing for the worst and hoping for the best. 

It is estimated that around 500 million animals have been impacted by the fires. It may take years for local flora and fauna to recover. The world's best scientists generally agree that these fires are rooted in global warming. Whether you live in Australia or not, we can all try to do something to make these tragedies less likely.

Educate yourself about climate change and the impact your consumer choices and lifestyle can have. Try to walk more, drive less and eat less meat. Shrink your carbon footprint. But also spread the word. It will take everyone working together to win the battle against global warming. Forward this article to someone else as your first step in committing to taking real action instead of saying "Not my problem."