KANGAROO ISLAND, AUSTRALIA—JAN. 14, 2020—On Kangaroo Island, three injured koalas with burned paws are treated in a temporary hospital tent at the Kangaroo Island Wildlife Park. hundreds of thousands of animals have died on Kangaroo Island along as a result of devastating wildfires that started on the island on Dec. 20, 2019. At the Kangaroo Island Wildlife Park, volunteers and staff work to save as many koalas and other animals possible. A temporary hospital has been set up to treat their injuries, like burned paws. (Carolyn Cole/Los Angeles Times)

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Photos: Rescuers race to save koalas and other animals in Australia

At Kangaroo Island, a popular tourist destination and wildlife park, rescuers try to save what they can

Koalas with burned paws are treated in a temporary hospital tent at Kangaroo Island Wildlife Park, an organization and wildlife park helping to save koalas on the island off southeastern Australia. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

KANGAROO ISLAND, AUSTRALIA—JAN. 14, 2020—Emma Veritay, is a volunteer helping to tend to the wounds of koalas at the Kangaroo Island Wildlife Park, where a temporary medic tent has been set up to treat the animal bushfire victims. Over 100 koalas have been treated by staff and volunteers at Kangaroo Island Wildlife Park so far. On Kangaroo Island, hundreds of thousands of animals have died as a result of devastating wildfires that started on Dec. 20, 2019. At the Kangaroo Island Wildlife Park, volunteers and staff work to save as many koalas and other animals possible. A temporary hospital has been set up to treat their injuries, like burned paws. (Carolyn Cole/Los Angeles Times)

Emma Veritay, a volunteer at the wildlife park, tends to the wounds of a koala. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

KANGAROO ISLAND, AUSTRALIA—JAN. 14, 2020—Lt Kynan Lang is one of the reservists helping Kangaroo Island to recover from the fires. Lang visits the site wherehis uncle Dick and cousin Clayton lost their lives trying to save others. (Carolyn Cole/Los Angeles Times)

Lt. Kynan Lang ,a reservists helping Kangaroo Island to recover from the fires, visits the site where his uncle and cousin lost their lives trying to save others. (Carolyn Cole/Los Angeles Times)

KANGAROO ISLAND, AUSTRALIA—JAN. 14, 2020—On Kangaroo Island, hundreds of thousands of animals have died as a result of devastating wildfires that started on Dec. 20, 2019. On the west end of the island, where the majority of the wildlife habitat was located, dead kangaroos can be seen along the side of the road. (Carolyn Cole/Los Angeles Times)

Scientists estimate that, so far in Australia, fires have killed hundreds of millions to more than 1 billion native animals. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

Animal carcasses litter the island’s rugged landscape. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

KANGAROO ISLAND, AUSTRALIA—JAN. 14, 2020—Two injured koalas wait for treatment at the Kangaroo Island Wildlife Park where volunteers and staff are working to save as many koalas and other animals possible. On Kangaroo Island, hundreds of thousands of animals have died as a result of devastating wildfires that started on Dec. 20, 2019. At the Kangaroo Island Wildlife Park, volunteers and staff work to save as many koalas and other animals possible. A temporary hospital has been set up to treat their injuries, like burned paws. (Carolyn Cole/Los Angeles Times)

Koalas wait for treatment at the wildlife park. The 50-acre property, surrounded by burn scars, was untouched by the blazes. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

KANGAROO ISLAND, AUSTRALIA—JAN. 14, 2020—On Kangaroo Island, a pilot drops water on a a fire on Jan. 13, 2020. The bushfires on Kangaroo Island have been devastating for farmers, many of whom have lost sheep and grazing land for their animals. (Carolyn Cole/Los Angeles Times)

Water is dropped on a blaze on Kangaroo Island. Fires overran nearly half of the 1,700-square-mile island. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

KANGAROO ISLAND, AUSTRALIA—JAN. 14, 2020—An injured koala is receiveing treatment for his injuries including his burned paws and nose, at the Kangaroo Island Wildlife Park. On Kangaroo Island, hundreds of thousands of animals have died as a result of devastating wildfires that started on Dec. 20, 2019. At the Kangaroo Island Wildlife Park, volunteers and staff work to save as many koalas and other animals possible. A temporary hospital has been set up to treat their injuries, like burned paws. (Carolyn Cole/Los Angeles Times)

A koala recovers on Kangaroo Island. Some koalas are in such bad shape they uncharacteristically move toward humans, either unable to see or starved and disoriented. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

KANGAROO ISLAND, AUSTRALIA—JAN. 14, 2020—Sam Mitchell rescues a koala and heads back to the Kangaroo Island Wildlife Park, which he is the owner/operator of on Kangaroo Island. On Kangaroo Island, hundreds of thousands of animals have died as a result of devastating wildfires that started on Dec. 20, 2019. At the Kangaroo Island Wildlife Park, volunteers and staff work to save as many koalas and other animals possible. A temporary hospital has been set up to treat their injuries, like burned paws. (Carolyn Cole/Los Angeles Times)

“There’s not much that isn’t threatening koalas at the moment,” says Sam Mitchell, who has owned and run the Kangaroo Island Wildlife Park for seven years. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

KANGAROO ISLAND, AUSTRALIA—JAN. 14, 2020—Nick Clark is one of the head farmers at Kangaroo Island Wool, which produces high quality wool from the 10,500 sheep on the farm. The farm suffered some dead sheep, but lost lots of the feed used for the animals. $50,000 worth of hay was lost in the fire, where Nick is standing. Farming is vital to the ecomony of Kangaroo Island, along with tourism. (Carolyn Cole/Los Angeles Times)

Nick Clark, one of the head farmers at Kangaroo Island Wool, said the blazes killed some of the company’s sheep and destroyed $50,000 worth of wool. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)