It's so hot in Australia right now flying foxes are boiling alive

A new dawn is upon us, and it's terrifying

Anna Freeman

10 Enero 2018 13:11

A colony of flying foxes, or if you’re not Australian and think that sounds like something from the Wizard of Oz, large bats, has almost been wiped out by extreme heat in Campbelltown, south-west Sydney, according to environmentalists.

The Help Save the Wildlife and Bushlands in Campbelltown campaign posted a series of images on Facebook showing the sweltered corpses of the animals lying in the ground.

Posted by Help Save the Wildlife and Bushlands in Campbelltown on Wednesday, January 10, 2018

They had apparently died from dehydration in the soaring temperatures gripping the country. The group say more than 400 of the species were lost, many of them young.

Volunteers have been working to save the animals, rehydrating them and taking them to places where they can be kept cool. Temperatures in Sydney reached a 80-year record high of 47.3C on Sunday.

Posted by Help Save the Wildlife and Bushlands in Campbelltown on Wednesday, January 10, 2018

Cate Ryan told local media: ‘It was unbelievable. I saw a lot of dead bats on the ground and others were close to the ground and dying. I have never seen anything like it before.’

The campaign group also regularly shares information about why protecting the species is so important for the local habitat. ‘Flying foxes are intelligent and remarkable,’ they say, ‘These unique animals help regenerate our forests and keep ecosystems healthy through pollination and seed dispersal.

As many of you will be aware, many flying-foxes perished in last weekend's extreme heat event. Below is a preliminary...
Posted by Help Save the Wildlife and Bushlands in Campbelltown on Wednesday, January 10, 2018

‘They don’t use sonar like smaller, insect-eating bats; only their eyes and ears, like us. They see as well as a cat at night and are just about as smart. Flying foxes are foresters keeping the ecosystem together.

‘If we are to keep the remnants of our forests healthy, we need the flying foxes. The two are inseparable.’

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