MELBOURNE — Wildlife carers in Australia are ready to work around the clock over Christmas, preparing for more admissions particularly for baby animals stressed by hot weather, bushfires and drought. Conditions have cooled over the past few days, after devastating bushfires that have burnt more than 4 million hectares (9.88 million acres) of land across five states since September. Hot weather is expected to pick up again at the weekend. At Port Macquarie's Koala Hospital, carers will be looking after 72 koalas on Christmas Day that were brought in after bushfires raised up to three quarters of their habitat, Clinical Director Cheyne Flanagan told Reuters. "We have teams on roster for capture if any are in trouble and they are available 24 hours a day," she said.

Source: International New York Times December 24, 2019 19:41 UTC