Animals also suffering in bushfires
A koala drinks water offered from a bottle by a firefighter during bushfires in Cudlee Creek, south Australia, on Sunday.
A KANGAROO has been spotted cooling off in backyard pool in a bushfire-ravaged region of Australia while elsewhere firefighters have been rescuing koalas from trees threatened by flames.
Australia’s wildlife has been hard hit by fires that have destroyed more than 3.7 million hectares of bushland and killed six people.
With scorching heat and fire conditions expected to worsen, animal sanctuaries and rescue organizations have to decide whether to try to evacuate threatened areas or risk staying to try to protect the animals.
Some koala and flying fox populations have been destroyed while kangaroos, koalas and echidnas have been spotted seeking shelter in urban areas.
While not known for their swimming skills, kangaroos do seek bodies of water in intense heat, though usually in the wild.
A family in the upper Hunter region of New South Wales filmed a 70-kilogram kangaroo taking a dip in their swimming pool at the weekend as temperatures topped 42 degrees Celsius.
The kangaroo, in water up to its chest, appeared unharmed.
While protecting homes in South Australia, a fire crew rescued koalas from gumtrees in the path of the fire.
