So very quickly, some organisations which need urgent help to help rescue wildlife - 

The Rescue Collective in Australia have a very urgent wishlist - they are in very short supply of stuff - you can find them on Facebook here.  They work together with like minded people, to support animal rescue, wildlife organizations and their volunteers across the East Coast of Australia. 

The Rescue Collective have a BushFire Appeal which you can donate to and it gives you an idea of what they have been facing as you read down the page.

Animals Australia have an appeal which will help "expert wildlife vets to travel to fire-devastated Mallacoota to assist local carers dealing with injured koalas; and to travel to other fire grounds where needed."

Wildlife Victoria have an appeal which "will be distributed to wildlife shelters and carers to help rebuild enclosures and equipment that they have lost in the fires so that they can continue their lifesaving work, and support those that are struggling to cope with the enormous number of animals that will need care in the coming weeks and months."  Just click on their DONATE button, the blue one

WIRES need funds too - they say in December alone the WIRES received over 20,000 calls and volunteers attended over 3,300 rescues

Koala Rescue Queensland have an appeal too which you can find here.  They say the destruction is massive and the clean up and rehabilitation will take years. Their climbing ropes, throw lines, harnesses, haloes and poles, were destroyed. Please donate if you can - even $5 helps us rescue and get medical help for sick and injured Koalas.

And the Fundraiser for the Port Macquaire Koala Hospital is continuing to grow - up to $2,868,000 plus as I type. 

We need all of us to keep donating, spreading the word, and praying for rain in Australia.  And to look at our own lifesltyles and how we are affecting the health and wellbeing of the planet and all its inhabitants.

Please forgive me coyping straight from these websites - I just want to get the news out there.

It's heartbreaking.   These people and animals must be absolutely exhausted and terrified. 

Praying for you, Australia xxx

Care2.com have a petition asking the Indonesian government to save Sumatran Rhinos from extinction and they need your voice to add strength to their cause.  

Sumatran rhinos are extinct - all except for in Indonesia.  80 of them are left there and the species urgently needs your voice.  Poachers, habitat loss and their own low birth rate has reduced their numbers to such an extent that it will be nearly impossible for them to find a mate and breed, experts believe.

If the rhinos are to survive in Indonesia, the government there must make saving them a priority, and in so doing, they need to work with the Malaysian government.  

The Indonesian government must make a public commitment to save the Sumatran Rhino and work with Malaysia to help save these wonderful animals.

Please sign the petition and tell Indonesian President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo and the Ministry of the Environment to take action now.

PLEASE SIGN THIS PETITION HERE

There's more sad news from Australia.

Lewis the koala, who was rescued by a very brave lady and taken to Port Macquerie Koala Hopsital, was sadly put to sleep. 

When there was hope for Lewis....
Sadly he had to be put to sleep 
From The National

He'd been put under general anaesthetic to assess his burns and change his bandages and unfortunately, the burns were getting worse - as can happen - so the decision was made to put Ellenborough Lewis to sleep.

Rest in peace, Lewis, and all the other koalas who have perished in the wildfires.

Thinking of everyone at the koala hospital who worked so hard to help Lewis and are working to help koalas who have suffered in the bushfires.  And of the lady who rescued Lewis.

Please make a donation if you can to the hospital - why not do it in memory of Lewis?

You can donate to their GoFundMe page here or directly to the hospital here 

Wildfires often hit the headlines now, but the media are slow to consider the impact they have on wildlife.  Sometimes they say “nobody died” and I really wonder if they are aware of the millions of animals who have been injured or, worst, died in the fires.

And at the moment wildfires are raging, in California and New South Wales.

In New South Wales, they are burning across Port Macquarie.  It’s estimated that between 20,000 to 48,000 koalas live both here and in Queensland.  They are heading for extinction here as early as 2050.

It’s feared that a large number of koalas may have died in the flames.  Others will be homeless as their trees have burnt down; more will be suffering from smoke inhalation or burns.

WWF Australia urgently needs all our support to help restore koala habitat and to care for injured wildlife.   Every single koala matters.

Please help koalas today and help WWF Australia plant the first 10,000 trees 

WWF have launched a plan to save koalas and to help protect and restore the trees they call home.

The WWF Plan is called Two Billion Trees, and it’s a commitment to secure two billion trees over the next decade.  These will provide vulnerable wildlife with safe homes by:

• Stopping excessive tree-clearing
• Protecting existing forest and woodland
• Restoring and planting new trees

Whatever the outcome for koala numbers, their habitats will need to be restored, both for koalas and other wildlife.  The thing about koalas is that they are dependent on trees.  They need them for their food, their shelter and their safety.   Trees make a difference to koalas.  Without trees, they have nowhere to call home.

So the area where the effort is to be concentrated is a koala triangle, between south west Sydney, Gennedah and Noosa.   It’s the heartland of Australia’s healthiest wild koala populations, but it’s threatened, not just by bushfires but by development.

Please help plant the first 10,000 urgently needed trees in critical koala habitat, to save our precious koalas before they’re gone forever.