BUSHFIRE ANGEL
Brit animal lover helps to rescue Australian wildlife
A BRITISH mum cradles a koala she rescued this week after scouring the charred remains of a forest destroyed by Australian bushfires.
Georgie Dolphin arrived on Kangaroo Island five days ago, desperate to help animal rescue efforts in one of the country’s worst-hit areas.
Bushfires raging Down Under for weeks have killed at least 28 people and an estimated billion animals.
Thanks to efforts by Georgie and her team, this koala was treated at an emergency triage centre set up amid the disaster, and hopefully can be released back into the wild one day.
Mum-of-one Georgie, 45, said: “It’s rewarding but devastating. I know it’s dangerous being here but I had to lend a hand. Those animals are waiting to die, their natural habitat has been destroyed and they have no food or water.
“Each creature brings a precious moment as they might be rehabilitated and released back into the wild or, with severe injuries, they can be humanely euthanised.”
The end of this week brought welcome rain across the country but there are fears Kangaroo Island, which lies 70 miles south-west of Adelaide in South Australia, may never recover.
Half the island, over 830 square miles, was scorched by infernos so fierce that billowing smoke drifting out to sea could be seen from space.
Georgie, who grew up on a farm in Berkshire, described gruelling 14-hour days and scenes of devastation as she and other Humane Society International workers searched.
She said: “There’s a rescue hotspot we refer to as ‘hell’, deep within the fireravaged plantations.
“The further we drive, the more devastation we witness.
“Sightings of charred wildlife corpses are regular, and smouldering areas still smoke along the roadside. The smell of carcasses and smoke is unbearable.”
On her first day on the ground, a total of 16 animals were found – a kangaroo, wallaby, possum and 13 koalas.
Georgie, a Sydney-based manager at the charity, described the “emotional rollercoaster of heartbreak and hope” during the daily missions. She said: “One kangaroo was lying still on the ground and we assumed she was dead, only for her to try to get up. We managed to contain her, but she had very bad burns and later had to be euthanised.
“Another time we spotted a very young koala sitting alone on the forest floor. I held her and it was the highlight of my day, knowing another precious life had been saved – with hopes of a future back in the wild one day.
“She peeped up at me from under the towel with melt-your-heart brown eyes.”
The team navigates bush trails, armed with towels for catching and calming the animals, washing baskets to transport them and bungee cords to secure them.
Georgie will stay on the island for another week with seven other HSI workers, searching the charred forests every day.
They bring huge water bottles and tubs to build water stations which are tracked using time-lapse cameras.
She said: “There’s very little vegetation but some surviving koalas can be spotted perched up trees.
“If we approach too quickly they’re spooked and climb up higher, evading rescue because we can’t reach them.
“The water stations we hope will reduce suffering, so it’s rewarding when we catch footage of koalas using them when we’re gone.”
■■To donate to the animal charity, go to
GEORGIE DOLPHIN BRIT RESCUE WORKER