'Dystopian' video shows the toll Australian fires have taken on animals


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Australia's wildfires have taken a brutal toll on the country's animals.
While it's not possible to say for sure how many have died, Chris Dickman, an expert on Australian biodiversity at the University of Sydney, was able to calculate generally how many mammals, birds, and reptiles would have been at least affected by the fires. The total falls just below a half billion, but Dickman did say some larger, mobile species like kangaroos and emus would be able to move away from the flames.
Specific numbers aside, though, it's clear the damage to the country's livestock and wildlife has been tragic. The video below — which is disturbing — shows just a small stretch of what's befallen Australia's animals. Tim O'Donnell
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A free daily digest of the biggest news stories of the day - and the best features from our website
Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.
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