SYDNEY -- Hundreds of bats died and many animals suffered from extreme hot conditions in Australia, authorities said.
Sydney just endured its hottest day in 79 years with the temperature hitting as high as 47.3 degrees Celsius on Sunday, making it one of the hottest places on Earth.
Birds, bats, possums and other native animals struggled with heat stress, said Australian wildlife workers.
A woman left her puppy in a locked car outside a shopping center on Saturday. The car was found to have an internal temperature of 65 degrees Celsius, police said. Officers then smashed the windows to rescue the seven-week-old puppy.
The puppy was given water and moved to an air-conditioned police car. The woman, 28, was charged with an animal cruelty offense.
The New South Wales Wildlife Information, Rescue and Education Service is managing to save those small animals vulnerable to the heat wave.
They had nursed possums with paws burnt by hot roofs and roads and helped to rehydrate birds and bats.
"Anytime we have any type of heat event, we know we're going to have a lot of animals in need," said a rescue team official. (Xinhua)
