The more than 100 fires that burned and continue to in Australia over recent weeks have claimed dozens of human lives since September and a new report estimates more than a billion animals are "dead or dying" from the effects of the widespread fires.
Naturalist Sy Montgomery told Boston Public Radio on Monday many species may face extinction due to their isolated habitats on the continent.
"Australia, being an island continent, has a lot of endemic species, species that live only there. A bunch of the critters who are caught in the wildfires, their entire habitat has been destroyed," she said. "And they aren't just the ones you and I know and love like koalas and kangaroos, there's other unbelievably cute and interesting animals who, their entire range is now destroyed."
Early in her career as a naturalist, Montgomery studied the underground lives of the southern hairy-nosed wombat at Blanchetown Conservation Park in South Australia. The expedition was only set to be two weeks, but by the end of the stint, Montgomery had so fallen in love with the outback that she quit her job and moved into a tent on the camp to volunteer for six months, studying emus.
"I've seen the sky black at night with these flying foxes, you know, I love this place, and it kills me to see this," said Montgomery, although she also noted that there has been such a wealth of support from people across the world.
"I look at some of the things people are doing, and it's just bringing out such a tsunami of love, the ways that people are saying, 'What are my talents and how can I help,'" she said.
Montgomery is a journalist, naturalist, author, and BPR contributor. Her latest book is "The Magnificent Migration: On Safari With Africa's Last Great Herds."
