The victims were carried in one by one, their paws and fur burned, suffering from dehydration (脱水) and fear. Their caretakers1their wounds, and 2them in baskets with the only thing that was3—the leaves of eucalyptus (桉树) tree. As miserable fires have4more than 2 million acres in Australia, only dozens of koalas have been 5from the smoky trees and 6 ground.
Koalas, unlike kangaroos, birds or snakes, do not7from fires but instead climb trees to the top, where they can curl themselves into a ball for 8 and wait for the danger to 9.
But during big fires, such as those that have burned in recent weeks, the animals are far less likely to10. Even if the fire itself does not reach the tree11 , the animals may overheat and fall to the ground, where they can be burned to death.
The tough situation of the koala has raised12among scientists and conservationists (保护主义者). While koalas have developed to exist alongside the wildfires, they are facing new 13, not just from climate change but also from human development, which has dislocated koalas' populations, 14their ability to survive fires.
We have these15 animals not found anywhere else on this planet, and we are killing them. This is a big wake-up call.
