Helicopter crew make incredible discovery in Aussie outback
The sighting is crucial to the survival of an endangered Aussie species.
Several bushfires have been burning through a national park in Victoria and while authorities scramble to get the blaze under control, rangers have made a heartening discovery from the air.
A mob of southern brush-tailed rock wallabies initially believed to have perished after their habitat was destroyed at Grampians National Park (GNP) has been sighted alive and well, and while only four are confirmed alive, rangers are hopeful more may have survived.
Authorities are now rushing to provide food for the native animals as they are at a high risk of starvation after large areas of the bush was destroyed.
"The critical focus for us is getting in there as quickly as possible to make sure that we've got enough food and supplements for those animals to survive," Charlie Richardson, GNP area chief ranger said. "They can be quite clever in protecting themselves from the initial fire, and then that's why it is so critical to get it to get in there as quickly as possible, to make sure that they have enough food."
Species of wallabies are most endangered mammal in state
There are less than 100 southern brush-tailed rock wallabies left in the Victorian wild and the food packages of vegetables, macropod pellets and lucerne hay are vital to maintaining the already endangered mammals.
The species were introduced to the national park in 2008 in a bid to safeguard the species from extinction and it's only one of two in the state, with the recent bushfires casting a devastating blow.
"The brush-tail rock wallaby is so endangered largely due to feral pests, predators [such as] foxes, cats that are devastating in the Grampians landscape," Charlie said. "It's a small colony, anywhere from 15 to 50 is estimated at this point, and we've got a monitoring program and a predator control program that's been underway for a number of years."
Aussies reacted to the discovery with relief, with one describing the find as "brilliant.
Hundreds of bushfires rage during Aussie summer
It is common in the summer to have hundreds of bushfires in the country, however, many are often contained and short-lived. However, the bushfire at GNP, which was caused by a lightning strike, is not yet under control and the park remains closed to the public, according to the VicEmergency. The fire has burned through a patch of land estimated to be as large as Singapore.
A second blaze became active this week spanning 14 hectares and, as of Monday, there were 35 confirmed property losses.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese visited the area on Saturday and called the bushfires a "devastating fire event".
"We live in a country which has harsh conditions," he said. "It has always had fires, it has always had these extreme weather events, but the truth is they are becoming more frequent and more intense."
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