Dutch raise €500,000 to aid Australia with wildfires

People in the Netherlands have donated over 500 thousand euros to the Dutch branch of the Word Wide Fund for Nature for emergency assistance to Australia, which is currently facing the most devastating fires in human history.

According to the WWF, thus far 8.4 million hectares have been destroyed by fire in Australia. That is twice the area of the entire Netherlands. 23 people and an estimated 480 million mammals, birds and reptiles have died in the flames.

"Kangaroos, koalas and wallabies are losing their homes and have nowhere else to go. Brave firefighters make every effort to stop the fires. But when the fires are extinguished, what has been destroyed must also be restored," WWF Nederland said on its website.

Donations made to WWF Nederland for Australia will go towards planting the first 10 thousand trees in critical habitat for koalas, emergency aid and medicines for injured animals, and protecting existing forests and the animals that live there.

Donations can be made here.

We zijn onder de indruk van de massale steun die jullie geven voor noodhulp aan #Australië! We hebben tot nu toe 500.000 euro aan donaties mogen ontvangen. Het einde van de branden is helaas nog niet in zicht…laten we samen zoveel mogelijk hulp bieden💚! https://t.co/1wMzdTvjue pic.twitter.com/gS5mU34iFY

— Wereld Natuur Fonds (@wwfnederland) January 8, 2020