Coming soon – the Oz-bat Epidemic By Viv Forbes

15 April 2020

    PM Morrison warns of health risks from China’s wet markets. He should also check Wuhan virus labs. And cull fruit bats in Australia. Many Australian towns and parks are infected by millions of messy, noisy fruit bats that can carry three viruses dangerous to animals and humans – Hendra-virus (flu etc), Lyssa-virus (like rabies) and Nipah-virus (encephalitis). These bats wear Green “Protected Species” badges, but unprotected humans are exposed to their noise, smell, droppings, virus dangers and damage to trees and orchards. Do we want the next world plague to be called “The Oz-Bat Epidemic?

     A few of the Australian towns coping with bat invasions:
  https://www.odditycentral.com/news/australian-town-struggles-to-cope-with-bat-invasion-of-biblical-proportions.html
  https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jun/11/it-smells-so-bad-you-can-taste-it-bats-plague-australian-tourist-town
  https://www.northqueenslandregister.com.au/story/6597700/lives-at-risk-in-flying-fox-invasion/
  https://9now.nine.com.au/a-current-affair/bats-swarm-queensland-towns-alarming-locals/77ae50aa-828b-446c-9029-ca3211255d16
  https://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-11-27/inverell-sc-discusses-flying-fox-infestation-with-oeh/5121278
  https://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-05-31/sydney-flying-fox-camp-numbers-increasing/7462746