Nearly 3 billion animals killed or displaced by Australia fires

Nearly three billion animals were killed or displaced by Australia's devastating wildfires in 2019 and 2020, according to a new report, with experts calling it "one of the worst wildlife disasters in modern history".

The study, released on Tuesday by scientists from several Australian universities, said 2.46 billion reptiles, 180 million birds, 143 million mammals and 51 million frogs were harmed in the blazes that ripped through the country.

While the report did not say how many animals died directly because of the fires, the prospects for those that escaped the flames "were probably not great" due to a lack of food, shelter and protection from predators, said author Chris Dickman, a professor in ecology at the University of Sydney.