Wildlife Welfare in Wildfires | Animal Welfare Hub

How increasing wildfire frequency and intensity affects wildlife welfare, from immediate burns to long-term habitat loss.

Key Facts

Australia's 2019-20 Black Summer fires killed or injured an estimated 3 billion animals
Wildfires cause death from burns, smoke inhalation, and dehydration for millions of animals
Some species evacuate fires effectively; others, like koalas, are too slow to escape
Post-fire habitat loss causes starvation for surviving animals
Prescribed burns, when carefully timed, maintain habitat quality and reduce catastrophic fire risk

Welfare Considerations

Wildfire welfare harms span immediate death and injury to prolonged suffering in survivors and long-term habitat degradation. Animals burned by fire experience severe pain. Animals caught in smoke zones suffer from respiratory damage. Survivors in burned landscapes face food and water scarcity for months or years. The scale of welfare harm in major wildfire events - billions of animals in Australia's 2019-20 fires - dwarfs most other anthropogenic wildlife welfare harms. Climate change is increasing fire frequency and severity, making wildfire welfare an increasingly central animal welfare issue.

What You Can Do

Support wildlife rescue organizations that respond to fire emergencies
Advocate for prescribed burning programs that reduce catastrophic fire risk
Support climate policy as fundamental to wildfire risk reduction
Donate to wildlife rehabilitation programs in fire-affected regions
Support forest management practices that reduce fuel load in fire-prone areas