Douglas County Crafters Help Australian Animals In Wildfires

DOUGLASVILLE, GA — There has been plenty of human heartbreak in the Australian wildfires, but the animals have suffered, as well.

The Cultural Arts Council of Douglasville/Douglas is parterning with The Animal Rescue Craft Guild–America to create items for animal rescue efforts around Australia.

Volunteers with the Animal Rescue Craft Guild are sewing pouches and blankets for the orphaned and displaced animals, from kangaroo joeys to bats to sugar gliders, that have been injured in the blazes, the organization said.

The fires, which have been burning across drought-stricken Australia for months, have razed homes and wiped out entire towns. Across Australia, nearly 18 million acres have been burned — much of it bushland and national parks, home to the country's beloved and unique wildlife.

Volunteers around the world are sewing pouches for Australia's orphaned or injured kangaroos, koalas and bats, according to CNN. Nearly half a billion animals have been affected by the fires in New South Wales alone, with millions of animals potentially dead, according to ecologists at the University of Sydney.

The total number of animals affected nationwide could be as high as a billion, according to Christopher Dickman, the University of Sydney ecologist who led the report, according to CNN.

The guild operates across five states in the US and the CAC says it is proud to be one of the locations to provide assistance. Volunteers are given templates and free rein to create as many items as they can that will be donated to rescue centers taking the animals into shelter.

For more information about items needed and free templates, contact the CAC at info@artsdouglas.org or phone 770-949-2787.