Floods Deal Another Blow to Threatened Aussie Animals

Posted By : The Animal Facts Editorial Team

Date: March 2, 2022 7:51 pm

A waterlogged koala is seen sitting in a tree after heavy rains

Photo Credit: Aussie Ark

As towns across Australia are inundated by flood waters Aussie Ark have drawn attention to the affect the flooding is having on Australian wildlife.

This is the fourth major natural disaster to affect Australian wildlife in recent years with bushfires in 2019 and 2020 having been followed by an earlier flooding emergency on the mid-North coast.

Flood waters impact animals both directly and indirectly as they rise. Animals such as echidnas and wombats which dig burrows can be directly affected as flood waters fill their burrow.

After the floods the effects continue with critical food sources washed away, habitat disturbed and animals displaced bringing them in to contact with feral predators such as cats and foxes more often.

Manager of Conservation, Hayley Shute says “It is just another blow handed to our wildlife. Large amounts of water can be just as damaging to wildlife as intense flames” 

She continues “We suspect that thousands of animals will perish or be displaced during this disaster and helping them rebuild will take time” 

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Aussie Ark are encouraging those who find injured, distressed or heavily waterlogged wildlife to seek advice from a trained wildlife carer or vet. If safe to do so you can place the animal in a clean box in a dark, covered area until is can be picked up by a carer or vet.

The issue is close to the heart of Aussie Ark. One of their properties, the Mongo Valley Wildlife Sanctuary in the Richmond Valley Region is believed to be inundated with flood waters.

26,000 trees have just been planted on the property but it likely the flood waters will damage these. Ongoing road closures have meant staff are unable to access the site to assess the damage.

Hayley Shute says of the property “We are unable to access the site due to flood waters causing road closures and we won’t know the full extent of the water until we can, so we are anxiously waiting to assess what damage we may have incurred” 

Learn more about Koalas here - Koala Fact File | The Animal Facts

Learn more about Aussie Ark on their website – Aussie Ark

Flooding in the town of Lismore in Australia

Photo Credit: Aussie Ark