More than 5,000 flying foxes that lived near a quiet residential area of the city of Casino, Australia, suddenly fell dead from the trees. Experts cannot yet determine the reasons for the mass death of animals.
In a forest near the city of Casino, located in the Australian state of New South Wales, there was a mysterious death of flying foxes: more than 5,000 animals suddenly fell dead from the trees, according to the British tabloid Mirror.
Mass death of bats was recorded after the thermometer rose to 44 degrees and the city was swept by heat.
Flying foxes (Latin Pteropus) are a genus of bats of the fruit bat family. They feed on juice and pulp of fruits and flowers. They live in South and Southeast Asia, New Guinea, Oceania, Australia and Madagascar.
As temperatures continue to be high, the foul smell of decaying animal carcasses has already begun to spread throughout the city. However, public health experts have banned citizens from approaching the remains of flying foxes to avoid the spread of the mysterious disease. Despite the ban, animal lovers began to flock to the forest and the surrounding area, trying to cool the surviving bats with jets of icy water.
To eliminate the smell of decay, the city council ordered to double the number of workers whose duties include cleaning city streets.
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City Council spokesman John Walker told the Australia Telegraph what is happening at the Casino: “More than 5,000 flying foxes have died for unknown reasons. We warned people to avoid the places where this happened, and not try to help live animals, which not only bite and scratch, but can also carry lyssaviruses (a genus of viruses that include species pathogenic to humans, such as rabies) … Some areas along the river are inaccessible, so we have not yet been able to eliminate the stench from the rotting carcasses."
According to experts, most of the surviving flying foxes are cubs that protected themselves from the heat by finding cool places.
The staff of the animal shelter took care of them.
“We work around the clock to make sure that every little flying fox is taken care of,” they wrote on their Facebook page.