Australian rescue group helps animals pushed out of their habitats by fires Ecologists in Australia now believe more than a billion animals have died in the country’s unprecedented bushfires. More than 25 million acres have burned since September. Researchers say koalas, kangaroos, wallabies and other animals have perished either directly or indirectly as a result of the fires. Jamie Yuccas reports on how an animal rescue group is trying to save them.