<img class="styles__noscript__2rw2y" src="https://s.w-x.co/util/image/w/GettyImages-1179422614.jpg?v=at&w=485&h=273" srcset="https://s.w-x.co/util/image/w/GettyImages-1179422614.jpg?v=at&w=485&h=273 400w, https://s.w-x.co/util/image/w/GettyImages-1179422614.jpg?v=ap&w=980&h=551 800w" > A dehydrated and injured koala receives treatment at the Port Macquarie Koala Hospital in Port Macquarie, New South Wales, Australia, on Nov. 2, 2019, after its rescue from a wildfire. Officials fear thousands of koalas may have died in wildfires that ravaged the region in recent months. (Photo by SAEED KHAN/AFP via Getty Images)

At a Glance As many as 30% of the koalas in one region of New South Wales may have been killed.

The cuddly-looking marsupial has gained worldwide attention in the wake of the fires' devastation.

The koala population was already in peril before the devastating fires. Officials in Australia fear thousands of koalas may be dead in an area of New South Wales ravaged in recent months by wildfires.

“It may well be up to 30% of the population in that region because up to 30% of their habitat has been destroyed," Australia's environment minister, Sussan Ley, told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation on Friday. "We’ll know more when the fires are calmed down and a proper assessment can be made.”

Up to 28,000 koalas lived in the region before the fires, The Associated Press reported.

Wildlife managers and others who care for koalas have warned for months that koalas were dying in large numbers in the fires that have swept across vast swaths of the country, fueled by drought, wind and all-time high record temperatures.

(WATCH: Woman Saves Badly Burned Koala from Australia Wildfires)

The fires have so far burned more than 12 million acres of land and destroyed more than 1,000 homes, according to the AP. Nine people have died, including two firefighters.

Koalas, the de-facto mascot of Australia, have become an enduring symbol of the fire's destruction. Photos and video posted to social media of first responders and regular citizens rescuing the cuddly-looking marsupials have gone viral, and the Australian government has allocated $6 million to aid in their recovery, Ley said.

“As we know the koala is one of our most iconic species and I get mail from all around the world from people absolutely moved and amazed by, number one, our wildlife volunteer response but also by the habits of these curious creatures," Ley told the ABC.

Even before the fires, Australia's koala population was in peril. The Australian Koala Foundation said earlier this year that there were less than 80,000 of the animals living in the wild, a number that might be too low to breed enough healthy offspring to produce another generation.

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