BBC Wildlife - UK (2020-04)

DOUGGIMESY

isa conservation,wildlifeand

animal-welfarephotojournalist

basedinVictoria,Australia.

Seemoreofhisworkatgimesy.com

RIGHTWithmuchoftheir

formerhomeunsuitableat

thetime,a femalekoalaand

herjoeyareaccompanied

byLachlanandcolleague

EmilyCordytoColquhoun

StateForest,100kmsouth

ofGelantipy,fora fresh

start.Theanimalsare

monitoredafterrelease,but

thehopeisthatthey’lljust

disappearintothetrees.

Ofthecasualtiesbrought

toBairnsdale, 95 percent

survived.“Documenting

this,I’veseenthebestof

humanityandtheworstof

politics,”saysDoug.“ButI’m

leftwitha senseofdisbelief

how,inthefaceofthisutter

devastation,wecontinue

tomessaroundatthe

veryedgesofaddressing

climatechangeandhabitat

destruction.Everyone

needstotakepersonal

responsibilityandactnow

todowhattheycantohelp.”

MORE ONLINE

View more of Doug’s images of

animals aected by the fires in

Australia in our online gallery:

discoverwildlife.com/gimesygallery

PHOTO STORY KOALAS

62 BBC Wildlife