Thinking of our Australian members

[Terry57]

I hope you all are safe, and that these horrific fires are extinguished soon.
I'm thinking of you all and praying for rain.

ETA: For anyone wondering how they can help, LaManuka posted a link that lists organizations that are helping the people and animals so affected by this terrible tragedy. I am adding it to my post to make sure it doesn't get missed among the many replies on this thread. If anyone has other organizations they would like to mention, please feel free to post their links (excluding GoFundMes) and I will add those to this post as well.

*I am speaking as a member (with the support of the other Mods), and not for ParrotForums in adding these links. I suggest that if anyone wants to donate, they check out each individual organization to find the one they are most comfortable in donating to.*

There are of course dozens of fundraising efforts underway at present. I'm not sure about how you might go about donating internationally but you could try visiting the Australian Red Cross webpage, the Salvation Army, the New South Wales Wildlife Information Rescue and Education Service (WIRES) webpage, or the Port Macquarie Koala Hospital webpage. I will try to provide a link to a news item with quite a few options...

https://www.news.com.au/technology/environment/bushfire-relief-how-you-can-help-those-in-need/news-story/a0476ac3538b8c373f281ea6be204421

Also LaManuka:
https://birdlife.org.au/current-appeal


charmedbyekkie:

Animal Rescue Craft Guild

More about it:

[url]https://edition.cnn.com/2020/01/07/australia/australia-volunteers-sew-kangaroos-koalas-fires-trnd/index.html[/URL]

 

[Rozalka]

I'm joining to Terry. Each time when I watch news about fires in Australia I think about PF Aussie members. I wonder if the fires are far or close to you

 

[noodles123]

Agreed...stresses me out if I think about it too much, and I don't even live there.

 

[T00tsyd]

Ditto to all the above. My prayers for all.

 

[SilverSage]

Same here.


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[Bundiibird]

It is such horrific conditions and situations.

The death and destruction is extensive to humans, wildlife, stock, flora and fauna.

It is not isolated to one area is is across 5 states and territories.

We have not had any decent rains and majority of the country is in drought conditions.


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[Terry57]

How are you doing, Amanda? Are you safe where you are? Praying for you and everyone else, it is just so awful.

 

[LaManuka]

Thanks for your thoughts everyone, this really is quite unprecedented even in a country where we are accustomed to bushfires each year. Along with the heat it’s just been a lethal combination. The one bright spot is the way these situations bring out the best in our fellow human beings and we’ve seen such heroic acts of courage from our firefighters and people rallying around to help those in need. But it’s not over yet, recovery from this devastation will take a long time and I suspect a few political heads may roll over it (but now is not the time to talk about climate change ... sigh ... rolls eyes ... !)

 

[Bundiibird]

We are in Rockhampton Queensland. We have no fires burning near us at the moment but about a month ago there were severe fires about 30mins away.

The fires at the moment are in Victoria and New South Wales, other end of the Country.

We are safe. [emoji3590]


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[Laurasea]

I add my prayers. Sympathies to you all as well
I only had a small taste of what you went through. A fire burning in the swamp lands for a month I think, anyway the smoke drift and air quality was terrible. Birds covered in Ash and smoke bathing in my bird bath poor things.

Can imagine it on your scale and with that heat!!! All the wildlife... Ugh!

 

[Terry57]

Thanks for your thoughts everyone, this really is quite unprecedented even in a country where we are accustomed to bushfires each year. Along with the heat it’s just been a lethal combination. The one bright spot is the way these situations bring out the best in our fellow human beings and we’ve seen such heroic acts of courage from our firefighters and people rallying around to help those in need. But it’s not over yet, recovery from this devastation will take a long time and I suspect a few political heads may roll over it (but now is not the time to talk about climate change ... sigh ... rolls eyes ... !)

It truly can bring out the best in people, I remember how people here stepped in to help the evacuees from the Fort McMurray fires. That happened more than 3 years ago, and people are still struggling to get past what was lost. We were 6 hours away and the smoke was so bad here that it made it hard to breathe when outside.
We watched some videos last night posted by your firefighters there, and my mouth hung open at what they are dealing with, and at their bravery.

We are in Rockhampton Queensland. We have no fires burning near us at the moment but about a month ago there were severe fires about 30mins away.

The fires at the moment are in Victoria and New South Wales, other end of the Country.

We are safe. [emoji3590]


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I'm so glad to hear that. I hope they can get it under control and that it spreads no farther.

 

[LaManuka]

Oh Terry seriously I would drop dead just from the heat of fighting a fire while wearing all that protective gear, not to mention the sheer terror of it all, these firies are superhuman! They’ve been working so very hard for so long it’s unbelievable.

Our national broadcaster has just reported that it’s estimated the death toll for our wildlife is something like 400 million individuals, with some whole species lost. It’s just too awful.

 

[Terry57]

Martina, that number is mind boggling. I can't even wrap my head around it. I don't even have words for that level of devastation.
Having to wipe away tears at the thought of that.

 

[Laurasea]

Oh Terry seriously I would drop dead just from the heat of fighting a fire while wearing all that protective gear, not to mention the sheer terror of it all, these firies are superhuman! They’ve been working so very hard for so long it’s unbelievable.

Our national broadcaster has just reported that it’s estimated the death toll for our wildlife is something like 400 million individuals, with some whole species lost. It’s just too awful.

Oh man! How catastrophic! Had no idea...

 

[LaManuka]

Problem is in a sparsely populated country like Australia, there are fires burning out in the uninhabited areas where there’s nothing to stop them and no-one around to report on or record what’s happening. So you can only imagine the devastation that’s going on out there. Next thing that’ll happen is we will likely get a cyclone roar through and blow everything that’s left to bits and/or flood us out. That’s what it’s like in this country sometimes, it’s a real “all or nothing” kind of place.

Mother Nature in this country is as brutal as she is beautiful and we do love it but sometimes she does break your heart.

 

[Scott]

The toll on people and animals is mind boggling, hard to imagine such devastation. Hope you all remain safe and experience welcome relief.

 

[Noahs_Birds]

When the fires were only just over the hill, around 12kms away, the amount of new species of birds and koalas and other animals that have taken sanctuary on our property is astounding
Red browed Firetails that we have never had before were scared out from the fire, and now have taken residence and enjoy eating all the leftover seed from all the birds so much, they have started to breed
We are very lucky to have a small pocket of koalas on our land, that have all survived from the fires which is nice to see
Thanks
Noah Till

 

[Amsterdam]

Wish you all the best and safety!

 

[Rozalka]

Oh Terry seriously I would drop dead just from the heat of fighting a fire while wearing all that protective gear, not to mention the sheer terror of it all, these firies are superhuman! They’ve been working so very hard for so long it’s unbelievable.

Our national broadcaster has just reported that it’s estimated the death toll for our wildlife is something like 400 million individuals, with some whole species lost. It’s just too awful.

This sounds so terrible! Which species are lost?

 

[LaManuka]

That’s a very good question Rozalka! They’re talking about the possibility that species not yet described by science having potentially been lost before they could even be “discovered”. To this day there is still so much rugged, remote and inaccessible terrain here. There’s a very good chance that there are (or were) small populations of unknown species in little pockets of bushland just barely surviving and out-of-control wildfires like these are enough to wipe them out. It’s impossible to say what species exactly, maybe reptiles, amphibians, insects or birds, or even rare plants. There are deserted places out there where uncontained fires have been burning for weeks now so we will never really know.