Australia govt announces $34m for fire-hit wildlife

The Australian government has pledged 50 million dollars to help restore and protect the country's wildlife which has been devastated by wildfires. Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said on Monday that the fires have been an "ecological disaster". The conservation group WWF-Australia estimates that 1.25 billion wild animals have died during the fires. The majority of estimated losses were reptiles, followed by birds, then mammals such as koalas, kangaroos, wallabies, echidnas and wombats. Estimated koala losses in the current emergency include 25,000 on Kangaroo Island off southern Australia and 8,000 in northwest New South Wales.