The Cincinnati Zoo and Cincy Shirts Partner to Help Australian Wildlife

Brian Stearns, a Huron-Manistee National Forests employee volunteering in Australia rescues a kangaroo joey (U.S. Forest Service)

The wildfires currently sweeping across large areas of Australia are the worst seen in that part of the world in decades. Not only are fires affecting people and property, but wildlife is also suffering profoundly. BBC News reports that over 480 million animals have been killed since the fires began in July 2019. These figures are based on estimates from Professor Chris Dickman, an expert on Australian biodiversity at the University of Sydney.

Larger animals such as kangaroos, koalas, emus, and of course birds, can often initially escape the flames. Once the fires are out, though, they face starvation and dehydration brought on by the widespread destruction of their habitat. Smaller species have an even harder time surviving the fires.

Help is pouring in from all parts of the globe, including Cincinnati, where animal lovers have responded in droves thanks in part to the world’s most famous hippo. The Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden has always promoted wildlife conservation and rescue as one of its core tenants. To that end, the Zoo is teaming up with Cincy Shirts, the company that created the famous Feeling Hip Fiona the Hippo T-shirt, to help raise money for the animals affected by the Australian wildfires.

One way help is being provided is via a new T-shirt called Fiona & Friends. Illustrated by Loren Long, who has worked on children’s books by Barack Obama, Madonna, as well as his own, the shirt features Fiona receiving a hug from a kangaroo and koala, two of Australia’s most famous indigenous creatures. 

Sales have already been brisk, to say the least, with 100% of net proceeds going directly to the Zoos Victoria's Bushfire Emergency Wildlife Fund. All funds raised will be used for critical care and long-term recovery of Australian wildlife. Zoos Victoria’s primary focus in regards to the fires will be emergency veterinary care as well as scientific intervention. This will include exploring supplementary feeding sources for the animals who have survived, but whose habitats have been destroyed by the bushfires.

Those efforts will be ongoing as the fires are expected to rage for several more months, putting further stress on people, homes, and, of course, wildlife.