Chris Lehmann of Kangaloola Wildlife Shelter with Smokey, a joey rescued are the bushfires in north-east Victoria. The shelter has received two joeys since the emergency begun, the other one passed away shortly after arriving.

Kangaloola Wildlife Shelter is nestled on a private property within the Stanley State Forest, 15 minutes from Yackandandah in Victoria's north-east. Purpose-built and in operation for 25 years, the shelter has more than 100 Australian native animals including kangaroos, koalas, wombats and an emu. The shelter is run by Glenda Elliot and her husband Ron, along with a team of volunteers. In 2003, bushfires threatened the shelter so Glenda took the animals into an old mineshaft on the property to keep them safe. Two fires came into the area and burned all around the mineshaft, however the fires did not impact the shelter because the animals had kept the undergrowth low, reducing the fuel load on the ground.