As Devastating Fires Are Raging In Australia, Here Are 24 Pics Of Animals Being Saved

Bored Panda reached out to Demi, who goes by the pseudonym CarbonChic online, about the wraps she made for the baby orphan bats of the Aussie wildfires. "There are a lot of confused, injured and scared wild animals in Australia right now. Even more dead ones. And fire is one of those things that is really hard to control when it escalates to this level."

"I’m not someone who can be on the front line fighting fires but I felt like I still needed to do something. Not just donate money, but put my back into it, make something that would directly affect the Australian animals, and not have anything skimmed off the top or have some kind of uncertainty as to where it’s going," Demi said. "The things I make are going directly toward helping the more helpless burn victims of the bushfire."

Demi said that she livestreams on Twitch and it took her an entire stream to get the bat wraps done. "About 6 hours for 18. I made 21 joey pouches in today’s stream. In total, I’ve also raised about $300 during these streams, too for the Animal Rescue Craft Guild, which feels like a pittance compared to celebrities like Celeste Barber but every little bit counts."

"I’m lucky to be living in the heart of Brisbane, so we are safe. The worst I’ve gotten is a few asthmatic symptoms from the smoke in the air, which comes and goes depending on where the fires are," Demi said. "Everyone is pretty nervous still about the continued destruction, it just looks like it’s never-ending! I am really sad about the loss of endangered species and will continue making pouches and wraps until my supplies run out."

We’re seeing people helping their neighbors and the local wildlife left and right in Australia. It’s a true testament to bravery that they’re putting animal protection and safety above their own.

For example, the staff working at the Mogo Zoo in New South Wales protected all of their 200 animals from danger. The team set a very precise plan into motion. First of all, they removed everything flammable from the area. Secondly, they’d prepared hundreds of thousands of liters of water in advance. Thirdly, they relocated the larger animals to night enclosures. Zoo director Chad Staples, who called the situation “apocalyptic” and compared it to “Armageddon,” opened up his home to some of the smaller animals.

"Right now in my house there's animals of all descriptions in all the different rooms,” Staples told the media. Meanwhile one of the zookeepers even took a tiger home with them (temporarily, of course).

There’s also a place for laughter in the darkest of times (maybe even especially during them). Firefighters with the Urunga Rural Fire Service in New South Wales saved Paul Sekfy’s home from the blaze and left him a wholesome note: “It was our pleasure to save your house... P.S.— we owe you some milk.”

That’s right. The people who risked their lives to battle the elements apologized for drinking the man’s milk. Kale Hardie-Porter, who left the note, later had this to say to Sekfy: “I'm happy to know my note got to you in one piece! We took refuge in your house and that's when we discovered the fridge. It was our pleasure to do a little good in such horrendous conditions.”

Dear Pandas, if you’re currently in Australia, stay safe. And let us know in the comments how you, your friends, family, and neighbors are helping each other and the local wildlife out.