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Page by Natalie, Matilda, Maddie, Sophie and Olivia. =BACKGROUND ON BLACK SATURDAY BUSHFIRES= The Black Saturday bushfires were a devastating experience for many, there were around 400 individual fires burning. They took over 1,000 homes, injured around 500 people and 173 people died. All these fires were around Saturday 7th February, the hottest day on record since 1887. The fires roared through Kinglake, Marysville, Yarra Ranges and Wilsons Prom. The strong winds and the extreme heat didn’t help with stopping the fires, this made any of the places which were hit an easy target.

Believe it or not, bushfires are an essential part of our environment. They burn all the dead plants and undergrowth, and the plants then release their seeds. Some plants rely on smoke and heat to release their seeds! So, without all that, we would have barely any plants and trees.

But still, the Victorian Bushfires were horrible this year and even the thought of it happening again makes everyone shiver. Even though bushfires are good for the environment, too much heat and smoke will burn the plants completely. So we don't want them to be really bad. All we can do is be prepared.

media type="custom" key="4191983" width="127" height="115" Click on the pin-points to view what they are.//(please zoom out three times to see the full map).//
 * This is a map of the affected area's and animals from the bushfires in the Kinglake area**

media type="youtube" key="-XSPx7S4jr4" width="425" height="350" This is a video of when they first found the famous Koala, Sam.

= = =THE KOALA= The Koala or the Koala bear is not a bear at all. It is in fact a marsupial. Marsupials are mammals with pouches. Koalas are also nocturnal which means they sleep for most of the day and are awake at night. During the devastating black Saturday bush fires many koalas got burnt, dehydrated, or suffered from smoke inhalation. After these fires the amazing story of ‘Sam the koala’ emerged. Pictures of her drin king from the firefighter's bottle soon flooded the media. Unfortunately Sam died on August 6th 2009. Sam did not die from injuries from the fires but from 'Urogenital Chalmydiosis'which more than 50% of koalas in Australia are suffering from. This disease and the black Saturday fires has made Koalas more endangered then ever before. = = = = = = = = = = = = =THE AUSTRALIA LONG-NOSED BANDICOOT = The Long-Nosed Bandicoot is know for its size. The small Bandicoot is about the size of a rabbit and has pointed ears, a grey tail, brown fur and of course a very long nose. The Bandicoot is a carnivirous marsupial with a reverse pouch, it usaully lives in a burrow under the forest floor and that burrow is lined with grass and leaves. Its diet is insects and rotton logs that are found on the rain forest floor, they also eat most things from underground. Whilst digging, many Bandicoots make a grunting sound. When they dig a hole that is big enough for its snout they sniff out their prey. This small animal is up for extinction. During the Devastating Bushfires this poor mamal was effected in many ways, during the fires the bandicoots were hiding in their burrows, curled up and sleeping, they did not realise what had happened to their habitat. Some Recived burns, crispy burnt ears, smoke inhaltion, and habitat loss which caused death or destress to these poor Bandicoots. =THE LEAD BEATER'S POSSUM= == The Lead beater’s possum is an endangered marsupial that can be found in the Central Highlands of Victoria. Before 1961, this animal was thought to be extinct. The Leadbeater’s possum is the National Emblem of Victoria. The decreasing number of the Lead Beaters Possum is caused by habitat destruction - by fires and deforestation. In 2003, the estimate of the total population of this species was 500. The average lead beater’s possum weighs 140g. Lead Beater Possums like to eat insects found under bark and various forms of vegetation. The lead beater’s possum uses its teeth to slice open tree bark, which will then produce sap. The lead beater's possum was badly affected by the Victorian bushfires, the tiny possum suffered with smoke inhalation, burns, dehydration and starvation. Many little possums were rescued and saved from the bushfires. 

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=DESCRIPTION OF HOW THE ANIMALS HAVE BEEN AFFECTED AFTER THE FIRES.= The Animals affected by the bushfires have been helped in many, many ways, even some ways vets had never tried before. It’s amazing to think that so many people and organisations have helped look after these poor creatures. Melbourne Zoo has played a huge role in looking after these animals. We sent an e-mail to Melbourne Zoo asking some questions about how they looked after the animals, but most of the animals were sent to Healesville Sanctuary. We found out that they sent many vets up to Healesville to help look after some of the animals. There were hundreds of animals brought in to the sanctuary, and all the vet, vet nurses and vet zookeepers saw each one. Many of the animals had to have injections so that they wouldn’t be in pain from the excruciating burns, some animals even died in their sleep. As I said before, vets had to think of new ways to help the animals, such as this. Healesville Sanctuary had an echidna come in with burns on his back; they were so bad that they had to give him anaesthetic because they couldn’t treat him while he was awake. The vets had to cut off the quills (spikes) on his back so that they could actually treat the burns, but how could they put a bandage on him if he could just curl up in a ball and all the bandages would come off? So, the vets invented a paste with burn cream, and it wouldn’t come off when the poor echidna walked around. This story just shows how committed people are to really try and help these poor animals, I think it is amazing and I really believe we live in a great community.

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=THE LORAX= media type="custom" key="4231713" This is a video about the Lorax and his story. You may want to watch this to fully understand the next piece of writing.

If the Lorax appeared right here to talk about the bush fires and the species and people it affected I think he would say something like this: "Hello, I am the Lorax and I speak for the trees and especially the ones lost in the Black Saturday Bush Fires. It was a tragic event in which 173 people lost their lives in and many animals also lost their lives. I can't imagine what those families have and still are going through knowing that it was no accident; that someone set the fire on purpose.  One of the most affected species was the Lead Beater Possum, the Victorian state symbol, which was almost completely wiped out by the fire. This is because they live in old hollowed trees and it would have been hard for them to escape the furious, fast paced fire jumping from tree to tree. Koalas would have been in the same sort of trouble. Other species that are now considered at risk are the Sooty Owl, the Ground Parrot, the Spotted Tree frog and the Barred Galaxias. Those animals including the Lead Beaters Possum are considered top 5 effect species from the bush fires.  In the future clear trails should be accessible to all people who could possibly be threatened by the fires and have no overhanging trees or bushes close to it. Trees have affected people escaping in the past by falling on paths and blocking people and animals from using them so if we cleared the trees within a small area of the escape path and clear undergrowth so fires have less kindling to help them continue destroying habitats and homes. This would help animals and people escape without ha ving to worry about having their path blocked and needing to find another way out before it's too late. Climate Change has also had a big effect on the temperature of our summers and has made bushfires an almost expected event from the months of November through to February or March. Because of this we need to have more knowledge of what the animals are likely to do during these times and be more prepared at an earlier date. We need to earn from the mistakes and misunderstandings we have had over Black Saturday and make changes for the benefit of the animals like having more wildlife support with plans to help animals escape or a tracking system to help knowwhere all the animals are encase of needing to find them quickly in a fire. It was a devastating event that no-one wants to happen again so we need to take action and be prepared for next summer.”

=OUR QUESTION: What is the most important thing that we have all learnt about the endangered animals in the fires? = We have learnt that we need more volunteers to help save and look after the animals. If we had more, then further animals could have survived these horrific fires. We never realised how many animals were actually affected there were over. We have made mistakes that we can learn from and hopefully be prepared for the next fire season. We also learnt that many of the animals died or suffered from smoke inhalation, burns, dehydration, starvation and also most weren’t fast enough to get away or were oblivious to the fires. We now know that Victoria are truly kind, caring and supporting. All the work that volunteers, organisations and people at home have put in are amazing. We’re sure we all are grateful for everything, and all we can do is be prepared.

=BIBLIOGRAPHY= Fire destroys Lead beaters possum home ranges’, 2009. Where the light meets dark. (Unknown). Lead beaters possum home ranges. {Internet} Available from: < [] > [19 August 09]  Forgotten Victims in the bushfire’, 2009. IPS the uncovered story. (2009) Forgotten Victims in the Bushfire. {Internet} Available from: < [|http://ipsnews.net/news.asp? idnews=46560] > [19 August 09] 

How bushfires can be beneficial to the environment. ClearlyExplained.com How bushfires can be beneficial to the environment. [Internet] Available From: < [] > [Accessed Wed 19th August 2009]

<span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Arial Narrow', 'sans-serif';">Koalas. Nicole and Emily. Koalas. [Internet] Available From: <[]> [12th August 2009] <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Arial Narrow', 'sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> <span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif';">Leadbeater’s Possum. Wikipedia. Leadbeater’s Possum. [Internet]. Available From: <[]> 13th August 2009. Long Nosed Bandicoot’, 1998-2005. Chambers wildlife Rainforest lodges (1998-2005) Long Nosed Bandicoot. {Internet} Available from: < [] > [9 August 2009]

The Preliminary Report 2009 Bushfire’s, 2009. The wilderness society (2009). Preliminary Report on the 2009 bushfires. {Internet} Available from: < [] > [19 August 2009]

The Long Nosed Bandicoot’, 1999. Australian Animals (1999). The Log Nosed Bandicoot. {Internet} Available from: < [|http://library.thinkquest.org/5053/Australia/longnosedbandicoot.html] > [12 August 2009]

What was the cause of the devastating bushfires in Victoria Australia? Wiki answers. What was the cause of the devastating bushfires in Victoria Australia? [Internet] Available From: < [] > [ Accessed Thursday 13th August]

<span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Arial Narrow', 'sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Victorian bushfire toll 'could top 200'. Ninemsn. Victorian bushfire toll ‘could top 200’. [Internet] Available From: [] [15th August 2009] <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">