A group of wildlife volunteers have come across the burnt remains of reptiles at a Sunshine Coast national park where they are searching for surviving animals of the devastating bushfire that ripped through the area last week.
More than 25 fire crews were called to Coolum national park last Thursday afternoon after reports of a bushfire.
The fire rapidly escalated and spread quickly as nearby homes were evacuated and firefighters battled to control the blaze.
By Sunday, the operation was scaled down and an aerial survey of the national park revealed 900 hectares had been burnt.
Wildlife Rescue Sunshine Coast Inc. co-founder Claire Smith and a group of six volunteers began the arduous task of walking through the charred landscape on Monday to search for survivors.
"The first victim we found was a very large python, it was only 30 feet from being able to get to safety but it had been completely consumed by fire," she said.
"We found that python within the first 10 minutes, we thought, if this is what we found in first 10 minutes, what else are we going to find."
The group searched logs and hollows for any wildlife that may have sheltered in the "alien landscape", Ms Smith said.
"I have never done a black walk before and I was absolutely blown away by the devastation and how the fire had changed the environment so rapidly," she said.
"To be perfectly honest, it was horrific, everything was black, the ground was either black or ash coloured.
"There was a lingering smell of smoke... you couldn't get it out of your nostrils."
They walked for more than five hours through the broken bushland and found numerous dead reptiles, including an eastern bearded dragon, a lorikeet with smoke inhalation and a goanna with burnt paws.
"Our plan for the next few days is to keep doing these small test areas because we have limited people," Ms Smith said.
While Ms Smith said she would love more volunteers, she said it was an emotionally tough job and she would not be able to hold responsibility for a large group of people walking through a hazardous landscape.
"We do take those traumatic and challenging rescues and you do have to be in a certain mindset and a certain type of person because of the emotional effect it has on people," she said.
"We have a great team of volunteers and rescuers who are of that mindset."
She urged residents to go and check their backyards for any injured wildlife and said putting water out for wildlife was "vital".
"They will have taken refuge where there is water sources, backyards, we expect to receive a number of calls from the general public who see them," she said.
"That is when we will fly to action and take them to the Australia Zoo wildlife hospital for treatment."
Anyone who finds injured wildlife can call Wildlife Rescue Sunshine Coast Inc. 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
