The number of wild koalas in the world might've taken a significant blow.
Australia's mid-northern coast of New South Wales was home to almost 28,000 koalas, according to Yahoo. Wildfires have swept through the area in recent months, depleting their natural habitat.
"Up to 30 percent of their habitat has been destroyed," the country's environment minister, Sussan Ley, said to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
Koalas are native to Australia and their existence has been under threat due to a rapid loss of their habitat. In May, the Australian Koala Foundation reported that there were "no more than 80,000 koalas in Australia," making the species "functionally extinct." Their numbers have possibly dwindled as the result of the fire, but workers will have to wait until the flames die down to know for sure.
On Saturday, the fire danger in New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory was upgraded to "severe," with temperatures near Sydney nearing 106 degrees. Authorities say that the two wildfires in New South Wales are at a "watch and act" level and that the flames are currently too high to see all the damage the fire has done to the koala population.
Wildlife volunteers are actively working to nurse rescued koalas back to health with the public's support.
"I get mail from all around the world from people absolutely moved and amazed by our wildlife volunteer response and also by the habits of these curious creatures," Ley said.
