Australia’s recording breaking heatwave is bad news for wildlife

After a several days of milder weather the sweltering heat wave has quickly returned breaking records across eastern and central Australia with devastating effects on the wildlife.

The population is currently celebrating Australia day with the rising temperature reaching 45 degree Celsius, but experts have predicted the mercury will rise even further.

Wildlife has been affected mainly by the intense heat and lack of water as dozens of wild horses were found deceased due to dehydration in dried out waterholes not far from Alice Springs on Wednesday. Park Rangers reported that they shot 55 wild horses who were seriously ill with no hope of recovering as all water supplies in the area dissipated

Only last month in Western Australia around 2,500 feral camels were killed as they were damaging local property seeking out water.

Farmer Les Smith from Lake Wells Station, north-west of Perth, told the national ABC news that thousands of wild camels have come out of the Gibson Desert seeking water.

Railway builders and early explorers introduced camels into Australia in the early 1800’s, the wild population is now in the millions.

Temperatures soared to 50 degrees according to Tim Carmody, grazier from Prenti Downs in Western Australia who said more than a 1,000 camels had to be killed since Christmas.

Other wildlife such as birds have flocked East in search of water.

Desalination plants are expected to be set to work for the first time due to dam levels dramatically dropping.