Australia's endemic wildlife is struggling to adapt to severe drought, from abandoned kangaroo baby to sunlit kangaroos and koala bears that must search for eucalyptus leaves, AFP reported.
The "Great drought" (big dry) is turning large areas of green land in the eastern Australian interior brown, some of which have been going on for years.
"there are a lot of kangaroos dying across the country," (Richard Kingsford), an ecologist at the University of New South Wales, told foreign media. He warned that climate change was so rapid that many animals and plants were too late to adapt.
Australia's government is stepping up its rescue efforts to help drought-affected farmers, who struggle to make ends meet and eat their own animals. But conservationists warn that the natural environment also needs help, especially endangered species.
Although drought is not rare in Australia and native species are stronger than cattle, additional factors such as human activity, alien species and declining water sources add to the pressure on native species.
Wildlife rescuer Wake (Racheal Walker) has seen a surge in the number of kangaroo baby sent to the central-western reception center in New South Wales.
Malnourished kangaroo baby was abandoned by its mother who was unable to feed them, while other young kangaroos were orphaned because their parents were killed by cars in search of food and water near the town.
In search of food, other small marsupials also venture away from their habitat. These animals usually prefer to stay in wooded areas.
