Half a Billion Animals, Including 8,000 Koalas, Feared Dead from Destructive Australian Wildfires

The wildfire disaster destroying Australia has wreaked environmental devastation as it began in September, wiping out almost half a billion animals and plants as well as shifting icebergs in New Zealand black.

As more than 130 fires proceed to burn crosswise New South Wales and Victoria, ecologists from the University of Sydney believe 480 million total mammals, birds and reptiles have died since September, stated news.com.au reports.

Koalas have reportedly been hit the hardest with at least 8,000 killed due to their slow-moving nature and the fact they only eat eucalyptus tree leaves which are comprised of oil, making them highly flammable.

“The fires have burned so hotly and so fast that there has been significant mortality of animals in the trees, but there is such a big area now that is still on fire and still burning that we will probably never find the bodies,” Nature Conservation Council ecologist Mark Graham said.

The “mega blaze” has destroyed homes and sent thousands of people fleeing to the shoreline from New South Wales and Victoria.

About 12.35 million acres of land have burned nationwide over the past few months. At least 17 people have been killed, The Associated Press reports.