Aerial food drops have begun to feed Kangaroo Island wildlife left vulnerable and starving after the recent bushfires.

While the normal approach is to keep wildlife wild, the scale and intensity of the fires on Kangaroo Island has meant that surviving wildlife have very few options.

The aerial food drops will be done in combination with land-based drops until the burnt environment regenerates naturally and grasses grow to provide food for surviving animals.

Wednesday 5 February saw 200 kilograms of kangaroo pellets delivered by the National Parks and Wildlife Service SA plane for the first time.

The devastating bushfires have seen significant losses of wildlife and destruction of vast amounts of habitat on Kangaroo Island.

The Department for Environment and Water says food drops are targeted at native animals and are being carried out carefully to avoid unintended outcomes such as providing extra feed for feral species.

“Land-based food drops on Kangaroo Island are being coordinated with RSPCA for the next three months with more aerial drops done as needed.

“While it’s going to take time to establish a full picture of the damage, we believe a significant number of Kangaroo Island’s koalas have perished, and considerable areas of Glossy Black Cockatoo habitat have been destroyed.

“We are also very concerned for the future of the Kangaroo Island Dunnart – one of the species thought to be most at risk, due to habitat loss.”

The food drops follow the establishment of a dedicated Wildlife and Habitat Recovery Taskforce as well as a Wildlife Recovery Fund.

The Wildlife Recovery Fund was launched at the start of this year to raise funds to re-establish habitat for wildlife in the state’s bushfire-ravaged areas. To donate to the fund visit the Nature Foundation SA website.