A town in Australia experienced a horrifying plague of bats as thousands swarmed the skies.
Locals in Ingham, Queensland, were forced to stay indoors as swarms of the blind mammals flew around the town during the super-rare incident in 2020.
Residents were hesitant to send their children to school thanks to the “bat-tornado”.
The intensity of the swarm was so extreme that the local hospital’s air ambulance couldn’t take take flight because the conditions were too dangerous.
The flying animals, a protected species, overtook the North Queensland town, but limited action could be taken.
With an estimated 300,000 winged mammals residing in trees and dominating the skies, the bat population outnumbered the town’s residents. An air ambulance unable to reach its destination was also forced to ground.
Mayor Raymon Jayo of Hinchinbrook Council said at the time: “It just seems to me that every bat in Australia is now in Ingham.
“There’s four different species, and because they all have young at different times, there’s hardly a window of opportunity when we can interact with these bats to try and move them on.”
However, local politician Bob Katter expressed a more direct approach, stating on the program that if it were up to him, he’d “be down here with a shotgun.”
He said that there comes a point where following the law becomes challenging.
President of Ingham’s Chamber of Commerce, Rachael Coco, highlighted the impact on tourism.
She noted that if the same situation occurred at parliament house, a solution would have been much quicker.
The trees surrounding a primary school were filled with upside-down fruit bats, leading many parents to withhold sending their children to school until the bats were gone.
Susanne Kaurila, a concerned mother, said at the time: “They’re not stepping a foot on that ground until something is being done.”
