Colorado Crafters Urged To Help Animals Injured In Australian Wildfires
LAKEWOOD, Colo. (CBS4)- Those with a creative streak in Colorado are getting to work for a good cause, to help animals injured in the Australian wildfires. Videos of injured kangaroos to firefighters helping thirsty koalas, have caught the attention of people across the globe.
Now, there's a call for volunteers to help the animals and the rehabilitation centers taking them in.
"I just want to help," explained Danielle Packer, a Lakewood resident. "They're actually just leaping into people's arms and wanting to escape the fire."
The organizations in Australia are taking in so many animals in need, they're asking for crocheted or knitted items like pouches for joeys, nests for birds and mittens for koalas. Packer is doing what she can to help.
"It kind of mimics the pouch they have with their mother," she said, as she showed the kangaroo pouch she's crocheting. "It will then be lined and a baby will nestle right in."
The Greenwood Wildlife Rehabilitation Center in Lyons, knows the impact knitted items can have. They have volunteers in the community who create baskets to help rehabilitate birds.
"We did see a big difference when we started using these crocheted nests in terms of how the animals were reacting and how they were growing and feeling," explained Chelsea Barrett with the Greenwood Wildlife Rehabilitation Center.
The pouches and items our community is creating to send to Australia, will serve the same purpose.
"It makes the animals in Australia feel safer at home and it contributes to their ability to grow because basically they are in an environment that is more natural to them," Barrett said.
LINK: Greenwood Wildlife Rehabilitation Center
• Donate to WIRES, a wildlife rescue nonprofit that is rescuing and caring for thousands of sick, injured and orphaned native animals.
• Donate to the World Wildlife Fund Australia, which is directing its efforts towards koala conservation.
• Donate to the Port Macquarie Koala Hospital's GoFundMe, which has rescued and treated dozens of koalas suffering from severe burns. The hospital is using donations to install automatic drinking stations in burnt areas to help wildlife searching for water and to establish a wild koala breeding program to ensure the survival of the species.
• Donate to the RSPCA New South Wales, which is helping evacuate, rescue and treat pets and wildlife in threatened areas.
Wildfire Resources
- Visit CBSDenver.com's Colorado Wildfire section.
Wildfire Photo Galleries
- See images from the most destructive wildfires (Black Forest, Waldo Canyon, High Park and Fourmile), the deadliest (Storm King) and largest wildfire (Hayman) in Colorado history.
