Wednesday, January 8, 2014

Na na na na na na na na

Think it's been cold here? Well, it's been exactly the opposite in the other hemisphere. It's summer in Australia, and they've been dealing with temperatures at and above 110 degrees Fahrenheit. And the issues they're dealing with there?

Bats dropping dead. Literally.



From The Telegraph:

About 100,000 bats have fallen from the sky and died during a heatwave in Australia that has left the trees and earth littered with dead creatures.

In scenes likened to "an Alfred Hitchock thought bubble", a heatwave across the north-east state of Queensland in recent days caused mass deaths of flying foxes from an estimated 25 colonies.

"It's a horrible, cruel way to die," a conservation worker, Louise Saunders, told The Courier Mail.

"Anything over 43 degrees [Celsius, 109F] and they just fall. We're just picking up those that are just not coping and are humanely euthanising what we can."

Health experts have warned residents not to touch the dead creatures amid concerns about the spread of virus or bites and scratches from bats that may still be alive. At least 16 people have been are receiving antiviral treatment after coming into close contact with a bat.

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