Heatwave Kills Thousands of Australia's Vulnerable Flying Foxes

A severe heatwave in southeast Australia has caused the largest mass death of flying foxes since the "Black Summer" bushfires. Volunteers discovered thousands of dead bats at a park in Melbourne. Wildlife experts say extreme temperatures last week killed the animals across several states. The grey-headed flying fox, a species protected as vulnerable under Australian law, was hardest hit. The bats, also known as fruit bats, cannot survive when temperatures soar above 40 degrees Celsius. This event highlights the growing threat extreme weather poses to Australia's native wildlife.