News of wildfires devastating wildlife in Australia has motivated two Haines-area women to donate time and supplies.

Local jewelry maker Cassie Miller began putting her skills to use making and selling koala bear-shaped necklace pendants and donating the proceeds to charity after seeing images of wildfire devastation on her Facebook newsfeed. Her son Felix’s favorite book is “The Australian Animal Atlas.”

“The idea that the animals he loved so much in the book might not be around long enough (for him) to see them in person some day made me want to help,” Miller said. She began researching Australian wildfire fundraising efforts.

“I kept running into articles about massive organizations in the wrong areas getting more donations than smaller groups that were being more affected by the fires. I decided that being a world away made it almost impossible for me to pick one, then I found Wildlife Rescue Sunshine Coast (WRSC),” Miller said.

WRSC is a federally registered charity in Australia that aids sick, injured, or orphaned wildlife. Much of the organization’s recent Facebook activity has involved raising money to feed animals displaced by the fires.

Miller has raised $2,621.22 for WRSC since she began her efforts on Jan. 8. Though many birds, mammals, and reptiles have been displaced by the fires, Miller settled on the koala for the shape of her pendants because they are cute and easily recognizable.

In the beginning, she was donating 100 percent of the proceeds to charity, but as her orders grew in number, she started to run out of supplies. She now donates 100 percent of the profits so she can keep replacing the copper and silver wire she uses in her designs. Miller also sends koala necklaces to people who show proof of donation directly to WRSC.

“When I started, I had everything via Paypal and my personal Facebook account,” Miller said. But the number of orders became overwhelming and started taking away from the time she needed to fill orders, so she created an Etsy listing to streamline the process. On average, she gets about five orders a day. 

She plans to keep taking and filling orders “until I am out of supplies, the organization is no longer in need of donations, or I quit getting orders, whichever comes first.”

“The biggest takeaway has been that if you are willing to put in the effort, anyone can make a difference in a positive way,” said Miller. She has explained her fundraising effort to her two sons, Felix and Corvus.

“(Corvus) was a little confused at first trying to figure out what koalas would possibly do with the money we sent, but after explaining it to him more he wanted to help.” While Miller bends the wire into the koala shape, Corvus and Felix place pendants in the tumbler to harden, attach hardened pendants to chains, and package completed necklaces for shipping.

Miller hopes her sons learn from the experience that they can make a difference and “that it is important to help others when you are in a position to do so.”

Haines-area vet Dr. Michelle Oakley found herself in a similar position to help and is partnering with UC Davis veterinary burn specialist Dr. Jamie Peyton to treat animals injured by the Australian fires.

The two departed for Australia on Wednesday, Jan. 22. after raising $52,958 through a GoFundMe campaign to purchase medical supplies for their visit.

Estimates of 1 billion animals killed by the fires motivated Oakley “to do what I was put on this earth to do-help animals in need” by donating her time to treat Australian wildlife. Many of the species threatened by the fires like koalas and brush-tailed rock wallabies are endemic to the country. If the fires destroy the Australian populations of these species, they will be wiped out globally.

Peyton has first-hand experience treating wildlife injured by wildfires in California and is versed in techniques such as fish-skin grafts to treat extensive burn damage. Oakley has worked with Peyton in the past and has two decades of experience as an all-species vet, treating injured wildlife in many different emergency situations.

Oakley could not be reached for comment before her trip. Tracy Corneliussen, Oakley’s office manager, was unsure of the duration of the outreach trip.