In the News: Australia: ‘Bat tornado’ invades Queensland town

Ingraham, Australia bats. Credit: RTE.IE

Earlier this month, BBC news shared a video report about a huge population of bats that have moved
into the town of Ingham, Queensland, Australia. They're causing quite a mess. Here's the story AND a video report about it!

'BAT TORNADO' DESCENDS ON SMALL AUSTRALIAN TOWN
BY ARISTOS GEORGIOU ON 2/6/20 AT 8:35 AM EST NEWSWEEK

A large fruit bat colony of "biblical plague proportions" has descended on a small town in Australia, causing havoc for local residents.

There are now so many of the bats—sometimes referred to as "flying foxes"—in the town of Ingham, Queensland state, that they outnumber the town's 4,300 residents by hundreds of thousands, news.com.au reported.

"It's like a bat tornado over the town," resident Adam Kaurila told news program A Current Affair.

The huge colony has taken over the town's Botanical Gardens and also moved into trees near the local primary school and kindergarten. Unfortunately for the residents, the colony only appears to be growing.

Local residents have told of the unpleasant smell the bat colony has brought with it, as well as the constant screeching sounds that the animals make. Some parents are also worried that the bats could spread dangerous diseases.

Bats in Australia can transmit diseases—such as Australian bat lyssavirus (ABL)— to humans via scratches or bites. However, the risk is low, Des Boyland from the Wildlife Preservation Society of Queensland told news.com.au.

ABL is very similar to the classical rabies virus and there have been three confirmed cases in Australia since it was first identified in the country in 1996—all of which resulted in death, according to the Australian Journal of General Practice.

Like rabies, there is no cure for ABL once symptoms have appeared. However, the spread of the disease can be prevented by rapid and thorough cleaning of the wound, in addition to prompt administration of rabies immunoglobulin and vaccine, according to the government of New South Wales.

VIDEO Australia: ‘Bat tornado’ invades Queensland town
BBC NEWS March 6, 2020 


Produced and edited by Isabelle Rodd