July 28, 2020: The recent bushfire in Australia killed or displaced nearly 3 million animals, reveals a study.

The study by scientists from several Australian universities said the wildlife hit included 143 million mammals, 2.46 billion reptiles, 180 million birds and 51 million frogs.

The fires destroyed more than 115,000 square kilometres of bushland and forest across Australia in late 2019 and early 2020, killing more than 30 people and destroying thousands of homes.

The plight of Australia's popular koalas during the fires garnered international media attention, with thousands of the tree-dwelling marsupials believed to have perished.

The report was prepared by scientists from the University of Sydney, University of New South Wales, University of Newcastle, Charles Sturt University and conservation group BirdLife Australia.

Dermot O'Gorman, CEO of the Australian branch of the World Wide Fund for Nature, which commissioned the report termed the interim findings as shocking. "This ranks as one of the worst wildlife disasters in modern history," he said.