KOALAS RETURN TO THEIR HOMES

In September 2019, fires started in many places in Australia. They continued for six months. The fires burned over 105 million dunams* of land. This area is almost six times as big as all of Israel. The fires completely destroyed thousands of houses and many forests. These forests were homes to many plants and animals that live only in Australia. Many of them died in the fires. One of the animals that especially worried many people was the koala.(lines 1–5)
Koalas are unusual because they live in eucalyptus trees and their only food is the leaves of these trees. As soon as the fires started, hundreds of volunteers went to look for koalas in order to rescue them. Dr. Kathy Lang, director of an environmental organization, said, "There was a real danger that we would lose all the koalas in some areas."(lines 6–10)
Experts believe that over 25,000 koalas died in the fires or because they had no food to eat. But newspapers reported that volunteers saved hundreds of koalas and other animals. They brought them to special zoos or animal hospitals.(lines 11–14)
After six months, heavy rains finally put out the fires. Grass began to grow immediately and new leaves appeared on the eucalyptus trees that survived. It was time for the koalas to return to their homes in the forests. Sharon Nash from the Koala Hospital said, "This is a great day for us. We are able to return many koalas to their homes, some of them even to their original tree. This makes us very proud and happy."(lines 15–19)
Dr. Lang explained, "We put a radio-chip on all the koalas that the volunteers rescued. This is because experts say that in the future there will be big fires again in Australia. In times of danger, it will be easier for volunteers to find the koalas that have a chip."(lines 20–22)