Wildlife

Bats Drop Dead From Trees in Blistering Australian Heat

Thousands of fruit bats fell dead from trees in one area of eastern Australia as a heat wave pushed temperatures as high as 111 degrees Fahrenheit on Saturday.

The dead mammals, also known as flying foxes, piled up on the ground in Casino and the Richmond Valley of northern New South Wales, where wildlife officials warned residents not to touch the animals due to the danger of catching viruses or other illnesses.

Hundreds of infant bats left orphaned were being cared for by animal-rescue workers who said they were overwhelmed by the environmental disaster.

“Some areas along the riverbank are inaccessible, and the stench from the rotting carcasses will be quite unbearable for some time yet,” council manager John Walker told Sydney’s The Daily Telegraph.

Last January, an unprecedented heat wave in neighbouring Queensland killed as many as 100,000 flying foxes.