Los Angeles wildfires take toll on local wildlife

As flames continue to rage over households and human infrastructure, the fires have also burned wildlife out of house and home. Slow-moving animals who can’t outrun the flames, nocturnal creatures forced to flee during the daylight hours, and animals with young are especially vulnerable. Urban wildlife may face the brunt of this fire—including species like bats that live in the walls or roofs of buildings. Some residents are leaving out water for transient wildlife. Meanwhile, the flames of the Pacific Palisades and Eaton fires have turned back the clock on years of the region’s restoration and conservation efforts. But one wildlife professional has already turned to the future. “Part of bringing back L.A. is making sure that we’re also considering wildlife, nature and habitat,” Miguel Ordeñana, a wildlife biologist and environmental educator at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, told High Country News. “Because if that doesn’t come back, and that’s not being supported, then LA is not going to be what it was.”

Read more at High Country News via Mother Jones.