Help Is On The Way For Animals At Mogo Zoo After Staff Saved Them From Bushfire

Staff at the world famous Mogo Zoo have been working around the clock since New Year's Eve to ensure all animals would be safe from an encroaching bushfire.

The blaze on the New South Wales south coast has decimated the local area and it was heading directly for the animal facility.

Thankfully, all precautionary measures were put in place before the bushfire warning was released, but now staff will be given a massive helping hand.

Former federal MP Emma Husar set up a GoFundMe for the zoo, which has raised nearly $30,000 in just a few days.

That money has already been able to buy a generator, water, firefighting pump and animal food to be sent to the zoo, according to 7News.

Zoo director Chad Staples told the news network that they have been overwhelmed by the support but their hard work to get the more than 200 exotic animals safe isn't over.

"The big thing now is we desperately need to get power generators, fuel and water. We depleted all those water stores we had," he told Sunrise.

"At 6am, we started putting water everywhere we could, wetting everything that could become fuel. Lions, tigers, gorillas and orangutans went into their night dens and we keep them calm.

"Giraffe and zebra stayed in their paddocks, but we gave them access to everywhere so they could decide where they went.

"Any animals that we could move out of enclosures got moved out to my house. We drove around and whenever we saw a flame spring up, we jumped onto it."

It was devastating to know that as the bushfire encroached towards the zoo on New Year's Eve, firetrucks weren't able to get in to help. As a result, zoo staff were tasked with the massive effort of ensure the 81 acre property didn't become incinerated.

Mogo Wildlife/Twitter

There's no doubt at all that the staff who stayed that day saved the lives of dozens of animals.

Mr Staples issued a massive thank you to people on Facebook for their support over what has been a brutal few days.

"Thank you to everyone for all your prayers, well wishes and offers of support," he said. "I am so blown away by the hearts of people sometimes, I am truly moved there are so many people out there who love these amazing animals here at Mogo like I do.

"Once we get past this horrible season we are in, please please come and check on them all for yourselves."

Topics: News, Bushfires, Animals, Australia

Stewart Perrie

Stewart Perrie is a Trending Journalist at LADbible. His first job was as a newsreader and journalist at the award winning Sydney radio station, Macquarie Radio. He was solely responsible for the content broadcast on multiple stations across Australia when the MH17, Germanwings and AirAsia disasters unfolded. Stewart has covered the conflict in Syria for LADbible, interviewing a doctor on the front line, and has contributed to the hugely successful UOKM8 campaign.

@stewartperrie