Australia continues to burn and the fires, beside from having caused a wide variety of damages, is also posing a threat to the country’s livestock. According to estimates from Mecardo (market analytics company specialized in the wool, livestock and grain segments), the first are putting the lives of 8.6 million ovines and 2.3 million bovines at risk. The animals are all located in two of Australia’s states: New Southern Wales and Victoria. In the first case, 12% of the entire Australian livestock is inside its borders, while in the second instance is about 9%.
New Concerns
The fires have caused incalculable damages to the environment and they don’t seem to be stopping. According to local media, the flames have already killed 25 people and about 500 million animals of various species. Now livestock farmers turn their attention to the Tablelands, region in the Queensland where the largest livestock population is currently located. As reported by ILM, 690,000 animals are currently farmed there.
State of Emergency
New Southern Wales authorities have declared a state of emergency for one week. Many roads have been closed off and thousands of people have been forced to evacuate their homes. Weather forecast advisors are stating that, unfortunately, temperatures and strong winds are expected to increase. Both are factors that can potentially increase the fires further.
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