Help Australia's Wildfire Animal Orphans

OAKLAND, CA — Photos and videos of koalas, wallabies, and kangaroos injured or orphaned by wildfires in Australia are heartbreaking, and leave many people wondering what they can do. The U.S. has stepped up with monetary and firefighting support, and many organizations are collecting financial donations.

It turns out that there's something tangible you can do for the tiny survivors — you can sew pouches. The Oakland Zoo is collecting the pouches and wraps, and will handle shipping them to Australia.

The Animal Rescue Collective Craft Guild has posted how-to instructions on its Facebook page. There's a very high need for joey pouches, hanging pouches, and 3-D hanging pouches. Animal rescues are stocked-up on koala mittens.

You can drop off your donations at the zoo, or mail to:

• Oakland Zoo
• attn: Australian Bushfire Donations
• 9777 Golf Links Road
• Oakland, CA 94605

They hope to have enough to make a shipment as early as Friday, to get help into the hands of those caring for the survivors.

Wildfires burning in Australia since September have killed at least 27 people, burned hundreds of homes, and have killed an estimated one billion mammals, birds and reptiles.

Related: Pyrocumulonimbus Clouds Fuel Australia Wildfires