A lot of our wildlife is highly adapted to fires, since fires are naturally cyclic. But the truly catastrophic mega-fires of the past decade or so pose a whole other level of challenge. And there are indeed individuals and agencies rescuing animals and treating them, and if possible, again releasing them. A lot of orphaned cougar kittens and bear cubs, and deer fawns, have been rescued, and either later released or given to zoos if unable to fend for themselves. Local TV media and documentaries feature of lot of that kind of activity for sake of public awareness. Even stranded pets get documented and their pick-up locations advertised. Birds simply migrate and return. Burn areas are especially rich in bugs under bark, along with tree sap, and actually attract abundant bird life.
Just above my former hometown there was the most dramatic firestorm ever recorded - the highest non-volcanic thermal cloud in history, over 70,000 ft high, with four true fire tornadoes spinning in it at the same time, and the scale of devastation literally involved the release of more energy than 20 hydrogen bombs. But just the next spring, back in there, there were young tree squirrels running around, and a multitude of frogs croaking in the streams, and abundant bird life, and an amazing Spring bloom. No, the scenery will not be the same, neither in my lifetime, nor perhaps in centuries. But the deer have already returned for the fresh lush grass, along with the mountain lions and bobcats, and even open-range cattle.
I'd imagine it's a lot worse in Australia and Tasmania, where they've got entire categories of ancient marsupials dependent upon specialized eucalyptus forest habitats. And such drastic fires are now many places. Greece and Algeria are especially hard hit at the moment. We might finally have a partial reprieve here in northern California due to an especially wet Winter and Spring. But anywhere pine beetle breakouts has been rampant, massive fires are inevitable. And Calif also has a lot of creosote and pitchy shrubbery at the lower and mid-elevations, which is genetically programmed to burn once it's mature. There's nothing new about that. But all the modern subdivision and development back in those woods is a recipe for disaster, especially given any intense drought alongside it. I've certainly survived more than my own fair share of giant forest fires.
People forget the risks and learn slowly, but now learning how to contend with the risk has become a matter of life and death for many communities, and lessons are being learned. And it's amazing how there's so much compassion for animals, either domestic or wild, even when people are fighting for their own lives. Many a rural fire truck has thrown a scared pet or orphaned critter aboard while fighting the flames. Hopefully Canada will follow suit.
Loss of biodiversity - insects, plants, entire ecosystems - is a tragedy, and it's only going to accelerate due to out-of-control climate change as well as a long legacy of unwise monoculture forestry and industrialized agriculture, as well as mindless development sprawl. I feel it intensely due to my own field biology background, but even more so due to my love for the outdoors. But the Pandora's box has been opened up, and hell is already breaking loose.
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