Over the past five months, wildfires have been devastating parts of Australia.

These areas include the major cities of Sydney and Melbourne, as well as the states of Victoria and New South Wales. Other countries, such as the United States, Canada and New Zealand, have helped Australia in taming the fires, along with the aid of many professional firefighters and thousands of volunteers.

These wildfires, also known as bushfires, are due to the extreme heat and the drought that Australia is currently facing. Humans can also be considered a source of the fires. According to CBS News, there have been twenty-four cases of people deliberately starting fires, and since November, legal actions have been taken against 183 people for fire-related misdemeanors. In the five months of destruction, more than 28 people have been reported killed, and over 3,000 homes have been destroyed.

Humans have not been the only ones affected by these disastrous fires. About half a billion other animals have been affected by the harsh environments, while around a million of them are believed to be dead. These animals include birds, reptiles, frogs, insects and multiple species of mammals, such as koalas. According to CNN News, one-third of the koala’s habitat has been destroyed due to the fires, and about 30,000 koalas have perished.

Countless koalas have been rescued from the fiery blazes and are currently being treated in rescue centers where they arrive dehydrated and badly burned, according to The New York Times. One family about fifty miles from a hospital in Taree has been housing animals in their home. Christeen McLeod, who is housing the injured koalas, told New York Times, “Somebody has to look after them because nobody else is doing too much, as far as the government, in protecting their habitat and protecting them.”

Questions are arising within the scientific and conservatism communities due to the recent extensive losses of the species. With a species on the brink of extinction, as most of the world’s koalas currently reside in Australia, a country prone to wildfires along with extreme heat and drought periods needs the world’s help.

Although there has been some relief from rainstorms, Australia’s fight is not over. Fires are still burning throughout the country, and floods have now begun. The mix of the warm and moist weather has created perfect conditions for one of the most venomous spiders in the world, the Funnel-Web Spider, which contains a fast-acting venom lethal to humans, to thrive. CNN News says spider activity has grown in the recent days due to the conditions the fires Australia has been left in.

Even though the fires have died down, Australia is still left with many obstacles to face. Recovery will be a long process, but the rest of the world is here to help.