Hundreds Of Grey-Headed Flying Foxes Tragically Found Dead

Twitter/Mary Lloyd/Wildlife Aid

Hundreds of rare grey-headed flying foxes have dropped dead in Australia, as a horrific result of a fierce heatwave. 

The strange-yet-beautiful creatures were found covering the grass in a Botanic Park in Adelaide and sadly, ecologists have put it down to a ferocious heatwave devastating southern Australia.

The ill-fated bats moved across from the east side of the country to the park seven years ago, where their food sources were bountiful in the city areas, ABC reports.

Unfortunately, ecologist Jason Van Weenen from Natural Resources South Australia, states the bats do not cope with high temperatures and expects more to be found dead.

He explained to ABC news:

They camp during the day in that area near the entrance to Adelaide Zoo, that’s where we’re seeing a lot of the animals succumbing to the heat at the moment.

But there is the potential the animals move out during the night and forage as they normally would and succumb to heat across the broader metropolitan area.

We are advising people that they could potentially come across them anywhere across the metropolitan area.

Getty

Temperatures have reached a shocking high of 45c and have circulated the unbearably hot 40c mark for much of last week.

The dead creatures could scarily lead to an epidemic of terrifying diseases, such as Hendra and lyssavirus and the ecologist is adamant people don’t touch them.

He said:

It’s really important that people don’t pick them up.

Wikimedia/SuperJ

The poor flying foxes are worryingly already threatened species, with their numbers dwindling.

What a depressing story.

Hopefully the temperature will drop a little soon,  so these rare animals can be saved a nasty fate.

UNILAD