原标题：#澳洲大火#五亿只动物仅仅是这场灾祸的开端
关键词：wildfire 森林大火
超2万只考拉逝世，数亿只动物丧生……你是否会想起某些末日式劫难？2019年9月起，澳大利亚东南地区林火暴虐，至今还未消停。悉尼大学生态学家预算，在火灾最严峻的新南威尔士州，大约有5亿只鸟、哺乳动物和爬虫类丧生。
Australian wildfires may have killed half a billion animals
图片来自：Unsplash
As apocalyptic wildfires continue to rage across Australia, the loss of life in the region is reaching staggering numbers. Ecologists at the University of Sydney now estimate that nearly half a billion animals have been wiped out since the fires began several months ago.
Koalas, which were already under threat dueto significant habitat loss, have been hit particularly hard. Ecologists said nearly 8,000 koalas —about one-third of the population in their primary habitat — are believed to have died since the fires began.
"Up to 30% of their habitat has been destroyed," Australia's environment minister, Sussan Ley, told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. "We'll know more when the fires are calmed down and a proper assessment can be made."
图片来自：Unsplash
While animal hospitals are taking in as many animals as possible to treat burns and nurse them back to health, services have struggled to keep up. The animals that have survived will have trouble finding food and shelter amid the ongoing flames.
Associate Professor Dieter Hochuli from the University of Sydney said it isn't just the well-known species, such as kangaroos and koalas, that are at risk. Insects that are key to services like pollination and nutrient cycling also suffered massive losses, and it is not clear how those populations and ecosystems will recover. In addition, many rareplant species are feared to have disappeared completely.
Wildlife Information, Rescue and Education Services told Reuters that services typically advise against feeding wild animals. However, the inferno has prompted them to change their advice. They're now encouraging people to provide wildlife with much-needed food and water.
"The compelling issuehere is climatechange," said Sydney MayorClover Moore. "Yes, Australia is burning and national parks and our native animals are being decimated and our communities are being devastated. People have lost homes. People have died. Firefighters have been killed defending communities, most recently last night."
"As the driest continenton Earth, we're at the forefront of accelerating globalwarming," she continued. "What is happening is a wake-up call for our governments to start making effectivecontributions to reducing global emissions... It's our national governments that are failing us."
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https:///news/australia-fires-half-a-billion-animals-plants-koalas-dead-willdfires-2020-01-02/
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