It’s heartbreaking watching the news every day as bushfires in Australia destroy more than 15 million acres of land and kill nearly half a billion animals, including 1/3 of the koala population in the area.
As for the animals that survived, many are in critical care as they recover from burns and other wounds.
Animal rescues and hospitals across Australia are filled to the brim with injured critters, including the Irwin family wildlife hospital at the Australia Zoo, which has rescued more than 90,000 animals alone. Animal activist Bindi Irwin wrote on Instagram,
“Every day is a battle to stand up and speak for those who cannot speak for themselves. Now more than ever we need to work together to make a difference and protect our Mother Earth.”
While donations to rescue groups are always welcome, a more tangible way to help is to sew, knit, or crochet joey pouches, bat wraps, kitten onesies, blankets, and more.
Organized by the group Animal Rescue Craft Guild, thousands of volunteers are currently hard at work trying to donate crafts to help the injured animals in Australia.
According to Reuters, the Guild has already been inundated with volunteers. Founding member Belinda Orellana said,
“It’s been going crazy. The response has been amazing.”
As of Monday evening, the group already has more than 100,000 members from all over the world, all hard at work.
Members have been posting pictures of themselves — and their kids! — creating pouches, wraps, and more.
Despite all the volunteers, the group is still desperately in need of more joey pouches and hanging pouches, among other things.
For those who aren’t so crafty, the group is also accepting donations for supplies and postage.
For more information on how you can help, make sure you check out the group’s Facebook page. We’ve also provided a chart below from the Guild on the items that are currently most needed.
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