Heartbreaking Video Shows Kangaroos Fleeing Bushfires

A harrowing video has emerged which shows dozens of kangaroos fleeing from bushfires that continue to ravage the southeast coast of Australia.

The group is seen running for their lives across grassland near the New South Wales village of Bredbo, desperately searching for safety from the fires.

Mitchell Lyons, who filmed the heartbreaking moment, said: "Look, they don't know which way to run from cars, but they sure know which way to run from fire."

According to Lyons, the closest bushfire was around six miles away from the land they were running over, so he thinks they were coming out 'to stop for a drink'.

Although wildlife rescue services have rescued some of the kangaroos and treated them for burnt feet pads, wildlife experts have estimated that millions of animals have been killed by the Australian bushfires.

Many species have been affected, including kangaroos, koalas, wallabies, possums, wombats and echidnas. Koalas are feared to be among the hardest hit, with an estimated 30 percent of just one koala colony on the country's northeast coast thought to be lost.

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Tracy Burgess, a volunteer at Wildlife Information Rescue and Education Services (WIRES), said it was concerning that rescuers were not receiving as many animal patients as they would expect.

Burgess told Reuters: "We're not getting that many animals coming into care.

"So, our concern is that they don't come into care because they're not there anymore, basically."

WIRES receives limited government funding, meaning it relies heavily on donations from the public, along with help from volunteers like Burgess who care for the animals in their own homes.

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Burgess is caring for an injured brushtail possum, which had been found in the rural town of Clarence in the World Heritage listed Blue Mountains region, around 100 kilometers (62.1 miles) west of Sydney.

She hopes she'll be able to save the possum, especially since she discovered it had a tiny passenger on board.

"Once we got the pouch open, a tiny little hand came out with claws on it, so, yeah, there's a pinkie - very little baby unfurred possum," Burgess said.

"So she's a ferocious mother who has clearly done her best for her bub."

Topics: World News, Animals, Australia

Amelia Ward

Amelia is a journalist at LADbible. After studying journalism at Liverpool John Moores and Salford Uni (don't ask), she went into PR and then the world of music. After a few years working on festivals and events, she went back to her roots. In her spare time, Amelia likes music, Liverpool FC, and spending good, quality time with her cat, Paul. You can contact Amelia at [email protected].

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