Busch Gardens Creates Pouches For Tiniest Victims Of Bush Fires

TAMPA, FL — Busch Gardens Tampa Bay team members are donating their time to the tiniest victims of the wildfires sweeping through Australia.

A year of record-breaking temperatures and months of severe drought have fueled a series of devastating bush fires across Australia. To date, an estimated 15 million acres have burned and 1 billion animals have been lost.

Australia has the world's largest variety of marsupials — including kangaroos, koalas, wallabies and Tasmanian devils — which raise their young in their pouches to keep them safe and warm. Busch Gardens team members are sewing pouches for tiny marsupials that have lost their mothers to the fires.

In addition, The SeaWorld & Busch Gardens Conservation Fund recently issued an emergency animal crisis grant to the Minton Farm Animal Rescue Centre in South Australia to assist with wildlife rescue efforts during the crisis, including hundreds of species left injured and homeless on Kangaroo Island and the Adelaide Hills region.

The conservation fund has provided support to wildlife and rescue organizations in Australia since 2005, including previous fire-related emergencies. Guests visiting Busch Gardens can support the Conservation Fund by rounding up their in-park purchases to the nearest dollar (with the difference donated to the fund) or by donating directly to Minton Farm.

The emergency crisis grant will be used by Minton Farm to purchase medical supplies and medicines to treat the sick and injured, and to extend and add enclosures to accommodate rescued patients.

“We are desperately trying to keep up with the wildlife that is brought in by our volunteers, but we are quickly going through supplies and running out of room to accommodate everyone’s critical needs," said Minton Farm founder Bev Langley. “This funding will aid our ability to care for rescued animals and give them the best chance of survival and ultimately a return to the wild.”

“Minton Farm is on the front lines of this crisis, working around the clock to help save as many animals as possible," said Dr. Hendrik Nollens, president of the Conservation Fund. "The quick work of the Conservation Fund in approving this grant speaks to our shared mission of animal rescue and wildlife conservation.”