TDT | ATHENS

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A severely burned tortoise that survived a recent wildfire in Greece is receiving care at an Athens animal clinic, wriggling in pain despite heavy doses of painkillers. The animal is one of the latest victims of climate change, which is increasingly threatening the country's wildlife.

Veterinarian Grigorios Markakis, who treated the tortoise, said most of the scorched scales on its back had to be removed with forceps. "It was really depressed and had its mouth open trying to breathe because of the smoke," he recalled.

Although the tortoise's condition has improved, Markakis warned that the prognosis remains grim. "If the whole shell is burned, imagine what happened inside... All the internal organs could be damaged," he said.

Markakis, 28, cares for injured, orphaned, or sick animals -- from hedgehogs and snakes to storks -- at a first-aid station run by the Greek wildlife protection group Anima.

The NGO has seen a sharp increase in animal admissions this year, a trend experts link to climate change. Scientists warn that rising global temperatures are causing longer, more intense heatwaves, fueling wildfires, and creating other dangers for wildlife.

Greece has experienced several major forest fires this summer, particularly around Athens and the western Peloponnese. The government reported that about 45,000 hectares (111,200 acres) have burned so far this year.

"These fires are now harder to control and often destroy large areas of critical habitat, killing animals directly and displacing many more," said Nikos Georgiadis of WWF Greece. He added that "prolonged droughts, rising temperatures, and forest dieback all degrade habitats, reduce food and water availability, and make survival more difficult for many species."