Koalas rescued on Kangaroo Island by teenagers after bushfires ravage national park
January 8th, 2020 
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As the cost of the Kangaroo Island fires begins to reveal itself, heartwarming moments of kindness are shining through the despair.
A group of teenagers has been filmed rescuing a carload of injured koalas from the island’s decimated Flinders Chase National Park.
As many as 25,000 of the native animals are feared dead in the blazes that ripped through the tourist spot, with many more burnt or injured.
The video, shared to YouTube, shows a group of six shell-shocked koalas huddled inside the teens’ car.
“Just trying to collect as many live ones as we can,” one of the teenagers says in the video.
“Little fellas looking a little exhausted.
“Shoved the mother in the boot because she was a bit aggressive.”
Grave fears
The island houses what is believed to be Australia’s only chlamydia-free population and was a haven for the species, which is under threat in the eastern states.
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As the cost of the Kangaroo Island fires begins to reveal itself, heartwarming moments of kindness are shining through the despair.
A group of teenagers has been filmed rescuing a carload of injured koalas from the island’s decimated Flinders Chase National Park.
As many as 25,000 of the native animals are feared dead in the blazes that ripped through the tourist spot, with many more burnt or injured.
The video, shared to YouTube, shows a group of six shell-shocked koalas huddled inside the teens’ car.
A group of Good Samaritans has driven through fire-ravaged Kangaroo Island, picking up badly burnt furry friends and taking them to nearby wildlife centres.
“Just trying to collect as many live ones as we can,” one of the teenagers says in the video.
“Little fellas looking a little exhausted.
“Shoved the mother in the boot because she was a bit aggressive.”
The shell-shocked animals, including joeys, cling to the car seat while the mother watches on from the boot.
The shell-shocked animals, including joeys, cling to the car seat while the mother watches on from the boot. Credit: Reddit/Steve_OH
Grave fears
The island houses what is believed to be Australia’s only chlamydia-free population and was a haven for the species, which is under threat in the eastern states.
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The Kangaroo Island Wildlife Park has taken a number of animals into its care, with concerns many more are left stranded and burnt in the national park.
The population on the isolated island was last estimated at about 50,000.
The Department of Environment says the remaining koalas must be managed locally to ensure they remain disease-free.
“We’ve received reports that some koalas from Kangaroo Island have been taken to Adelaide by people who want to get help for them,” bushfire recovery coordinator Brenton Grear said.
“It’s understandable and heartening that people want to rescue these animals, but unfortunately it will mean that those koalas can’t be returned to the island because of the risk of contamination of the population there.”
Chlamydia in koalas can cause blindness, bladder inflammation, infertility and death.
Because of the size of the fires burning on the island, the Department says it is too soon to know how many animals have been affected.
South Australian Veterinary Emergency Management (SAVEM) has been activated to manage the wildlife rescue effort and is working with other groups in fire-affected regions.