The incessant rains and floods of the past few days have paralyzed a territory in southeastern Australia the size of Alaska. According to meteorological reports, this is the worst flood to hit the state in the last 60 years.
Over 18 people have had to flee their homes, many of whom have been invaded by spiders, insects and other animals fleeing the fury of the water. But what worries Australian animal rights activists in particular is the fate of some native species, including wombats and echidnas (also known as "thorny anteaters"), already severely tested by last year's terrible fires (Read: Australia: the harrowing video of the charred wombat crossing the road in search of food while fleeing the fires)
The risk is that these animals can be trapped underground, thus having no escape route. At the moment, the situation for Australian fauna is rather dire.
Read also: Thousands of spiders invade homes to escape the floods that hit Australia
Animal welfare volunteers are working tirelessly
In recent days, environmental groups have received numerous reports of kangaroos stuck in exhaust pipes, animals hit by cars and turtles and seabirds wiped out of their habitat.
"Aquatic animals such as platypus and turtles face major runoff problems and are transported away from their territories." explains Evan Quartermain of Humane Society International.
There are so many animals that have died in Australia in recent days due to heavy rains.
“We lost a lot of animals this weekend,” says Nat Blatchford, member of the Wildlife in Need of Care animal rescue service. - “It has been raining continuously since Thursday. We saw exhausted kangaroos approaching the doors of the houses and several birds entering the houses. "
John Creighton of Wombat Care Bundanoon has spent the past three days inspecting around 300 wombat burrows in the southern highlands southwest of Sydney. "More than half were flooded" Creighton announced.
The sun is back out, and the weather should be fine for the next week! Floods are still active, but will back off in…
Posted by Wombat Care Bundanoon on Tuesday, March 23, 2021
Fortunately, some of these wombats have been rescued by animal welfare volunteers, who are working tirelessly, guaranteeing a 24-hour rescue service. It is not yet clear how many animals have lost their lives due to the floods. To take stock of the impact of heavy rains on wildlife, we will have to wait a few more days. And just starting today, the weather conditions in New South Wales should finally be improving.
Fonte: The Guardian/Facebook
Read also:
- Hundreds of thousands of mice invade Australia: a "plague" of biblical proportions
- How do wombats make square poop? Scientists uncover the mystery
- Surprise! Wombats are biofluorescent: their fur glows in the dark
