Climate change and bushfires are forcing massive changes to the way Australia conserves threatened animals and plants.
The devastating Black Summer bushfires completely changed Sally Sherwin's thoughts on how to protect the country's most vulnerable wildlife.
Dr Sherwin says the increase in bushfires, extreme heat and flooding thanks to climate change means Australia has to rethink its approach to saving threatened species from extinction,"Some of these problems are going to take decades and decades to fix," she says. At the same time, wildlife care units at Zoos Victoria's three main facilities — Healesville Sanctuary, Werribee Open Range Zoo and the Melbourne Zoo — tried to cope with the barrage of animals injured in the fires.
The animals would have to come back to the zoo clinic to get new bandages and other specialist assistance, with all that transit adding to their stress. Improving the capacity of zoos to help injured animals is one thing, but trying to prevent extinctions is another. Almost overnight, critically endangered alpine species such as the spotted tree frog lost half its remaining Victorian habitat in Black Summer.
"We're working on this for the species Zoos Victoria works with, but there are so many in Victoria that need attention and dedication," Dr Sherwin says.
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