Kane Dane
In the wake of devastating wildfires, Ellen DeGeneres is collecting donations for Australia.
On “The Ellen DeGeneres Show,” the 61-year-old TV host revealed Tuesday that they had created an Australia Bushfire Relief initiative, GoFundMe, aimed at raising $5 million to assist the firefighters, people, and animals in the region.
Australia is in an emergency like nothing anyone on earth has seen before. Please help. Donate if you can. The loss of homes, and the lives of people and animals is catastrophic. https://t.co/vn6Qky3BbX pic.twitter.com/MeOZJDIsRX
— Ellen DeGeneres (@TheEllenShow) January 7, 2024
“I like Australia. I love Australia so much, and I’ve even married an Australian,” DeGeneres said, referring to Portia de Rossi, 46 years old. “Australia needs our help right now. Wildfires burn for four months with record-breaking heat.”
Burning since September, bushfires have killed at least 25 people, destroyed 2,000 homes and killed an estimated 500 million animals. In total, approximately 15 million acres across the country have been burnt-an area about the size of western Virginia.
Amount Of Donations Generated
As of Thursday, DeGeneres revealed, the actress had raised over $1.1 million for relief efforts, including a $100,000 Shutterfly donation, a 250,000 U.S. airline donation, and a 50,000 U.S. dollar donation from Starbucks.
“My viewers are wonderful! You donated over $1 million to Australia to help,” she tweeted Thursday.
The GoFundMe says that all the donations from the DeGeneres campaign will be donated to the “Australian Red Cross, a charity for humanitarian assistance and community services in Australia and WIRES, Australia’s largest wildlife rescue agency.”
Other Stars Who Contributed
DeGeneres is one of many famous people who help fight devastation. Chris Hemsworth, Nicole Kidman, Margot Robbie, Pink, Elton John, Kim Kardashian West, and Khloe Kardashian have both pledged money through social media and urged others to do so.
Leonardo DiCaprio, whose environmental group, Earth Alliance, will contribute $3 million to help wildfire.
The Foundation announced Thursday the launch of the Australian Wildfire Fund to contribute to the country’s current “international response to the disastrous bush fires.”
Bethenny Frankel’s alum “Real Housewives of New York City” has gone a step further and plans to send firefighting equipment together with hundreds of firefighters into Australia to help contain them through BStrong, their disaster relief program.
According to her website, Frankel vowed to “send aircraft with firefighters until there is burning” and to “assemble fire equipment from various fire departments in the United States, to support volunteer firefighters throughout the fire season that lasts for three months in Australia.”
And the environmental group of Leonardo DiCaprio donates $3 million to fund relief efforts.
The Earth Alliance of DiCaprio announced on Thursday that the organization’s “International response to devastating bushfires” was generated by the Australia Wildfire Fund.
The Fund is working with local Australian organizations such as Aussie Ark, Bush Heritage, and Wires Wildlife Rescue to help New South Wales fight fire and assist other groups.
“Fleabag” star Phoebe Waller-Bridge auctioned off Ralph & Russo’s tuxedo that she was raising money for relief efforts on eBay for the Golden Globes Sunday. Australian designers bidding for the Tuxedo Chantilly lace started at $54,000.
Estimations Of Death And Casualties
Over 1 million animals, including primates, birds, and reptiles, were feared dead from the crisis on Wednesday by ecologists at the University of Sydney.
This bleak estimate, which doubles the number of death experts forecast a few weeks ago, is from Chris Dickman, an environmental professor at Sydney University who adjusted to 840 million the earlier estimates of 480 million brushfire-killed animals in just New South Wales— a state in South-East Australia.
The massive number includes a third of the population of Koala in New South Wales and deaths are only expected to increase.
