EXTREME heat has killed thousands bats in northern NSW, with wildlife carers now working around the clock to save hundreds of orphaned babies while council workers clear huge piles of flying fox carcasses.
Temperatures rocketed to 44 degrees in Casino on Saturday, sparking the mass deaths of up to 5000 flying foxes, many of which simply dropped out of trees and were dead before they hit the ground.
In similar scenes, more than 2000 flying foxes perished in the Richmond Valley at the weekend.
There were extraordinary scenes as the bat carcasses began piling up on the ground, sparking warnings to the public not to touch the animals for fear of catching viruses or other illnesses.
Mass death scene … Bat carcasses line the street. Picture: Dee Hartin
Mass death scene … Bat carcasses line the street. Picture: Dee Hartin
Richmond Valley Council workers have been attempting to clear the bodies around central parts of Casino but staff have been unable to reach some outlying locations.
“Some areas along the riverbank are inaccessible and the stench from the rotting carcasses will be quite unbearable for some time yet,” said council manager John Walker.
“People should avoid the area and not try to help living bats themselves as they could bite and scratch and some carry the lyssavirus.”
Lyssavirus is similar to rabies.
