Fleeing for its life, this tiny kangaroo joey had nowhere left to run.
As a ferocious blaze tore through Cudlee Creek in the Adelaide Hills, the roo became trapped in a wire fence as flames closed in.
He didn't stand a chance.
Publishing distressing photos like this is a difficult decision but, tragically, this is the brutal reality of Australia's bushfire crisis.
A tiny kangaroo, scorched by the blaze that tore through Cudlee Creek. Credit: Brad Fleet/The Advertiser
In South Australia's Cudlee Creek fires alone, 5,790 animals - including livestock, alpacas and pets - have been killed.
It's believed up to 500 million animals have perished across Australia as the true cost of the fire emergency begins to reveal itself.
A Koala saved from the bushfires in Gippsland is cared for at the Southern Ash Wildlife Centre in Melbourne's south-east. Credit: Andrew Brownbill/AAP
Devastated farmers are being told to photograph their dead and injured livestock for insurance claims, with landowners having to euthanise many heat-stressed and burned animals which survived the blazes.
In coming days, more animals will die from starvation and heat stress as they battle to find food and shelter in their decimated habitat.
Wildlife rescue groups say the task is "largely a job of euthanising".
An injured brushtail possum suffering burns to its paws, nose, ears and tail. Credit: Mattias Engesser/AAP
"They are so severely burned that there is nothing better you can do than end their suffering," Wildlife Victoria boss Megan Davidson said.
Native wildlife and agricultural livestock are among the fatalities, with already-endangered species at greater risk of extinction.
Drought-devastated farmers are being forced to euthanise badly burnt livestock. Credit: Kelly Barnes/AAP
The extent of the carnage may never be known.
- With AAP
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This article first appeared on 7 News Australia.
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