Cases of bat killings are on the rise in the state of Victoria in Australia. They are accused of carrying diseases and stealing fruit
He is about to end up run over, his mother saves himSeveral bat specimens of an endangered species have been found dead, shot and killed in the state of Victoria, Australia. These would be the so-called flying foxes or gray-headed foxes (Pteropus poliocephalus), already severely tested by the asphyxiating heat of these months.
According to ABC News 6 bats were found dead and with broken bones in Gippsland (rural Victoria), another was killed in a private residence, in Tatura in the Goulburn Valley.
It would therefore register a spike in violent actions against bats who approach the fruit trees of residential areas in search of food after the catastrophic fires that have struck Australia have devastated its natural habitat.
The Bohollow Wildlife Shelter argues that the situation is due to the perception of people who consider bats "sick" forgetting that they play a crucial role in the ecosystem. All this happens after more than 200 specimens died from excessive heat stress in eastern Victoria.
Across the country, it has been estimated that around 100.000 bats died during the fire season due to heat, fires and drought.
Megan Davidson, chief executive of Wildlife Victoria, called a 'Extremely Cruel Act' the recent killing of bats, considering among other things that they still had fruit in their mouths and were killed while they were just trying to feed themselves to survive.
ATTENTION STRONG IMAGES - IF YOU ARE PARTICULARLY SENSITIVE PAST BEYOND
Photo © Wildlife Victoria
Photo © Wildlife Victoria
Even those who do not kill them do everything to scare them away but this can make the difference between life and death for them.
Public opinion regarding these animals is wrong and must change. As Kirsty Ramadan, who runs the Bohollow Wildlife Shelter in Goulburn Valley, said:
“There is a lot of fear of viruses. People think bats are sick, they don't like noise, [and] say they smell it, but they play an important and vital role in our environment for pollination. "
Fruit growers, for their part, don't actually report an increase in bats eating their crops but argue that this could become a problem if they don't find enough food in the wild. It's not so much that they steal the fruit as that they defecate on it, souring it and making it dirty more than they actually eat.
However, it is a species that must be protected since, as Dr. Davidson stated:
"They are animals that will help rebuild our forests and keep them healthy"
Source: ABC News
Read also:
- Fossil remains of ancient giant bats discovered in New Zealand
- The record heat in Australia is killing animals: thousands of horses, bats and fish have died
- How and why to attract bats to your garden
- What to do if a bat is found
