State wildlife officers say the tens of thousands of acres blackened by the ongoing brush fires will not kill off the animals.
They also say there’s still plenty for wildlife to eat, even in burned out areas.
"Most species of wildlife will get out of the way,” Wildlife Resources Supervisor Chuck Waters said.
Waters says with the exception of some reptiles, the wildlife escapes then quickly returns to charred areas.
Waters says with the exception of some reptiles, the wildlife escapes then quickly returns to charred areas.
"We do a lot of prescribed burning under the right conditions. Not drought conditions like we're in now. It's not uncommon to see deer and turkey coming in right behind the fire,” Waters said. Wildlife officials say acorns and pine needles are easy for animals to find, since all the fallen leaves have burned off. Meantime, GA Forestry officials say until it rains—a lot—firefighters will likely have to stay in the field. In a few months, they say the scorched earth will look quite different. "I encourage you to go look at some of these areas in the spring. You'll see the re-growth that will come back pretty quickly. It's amazing,” Waters said.
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