Now, 500 bats drop dead in Kanker, peacocks and civets found dead in Khairagarh

Raipur: Chhattisgarh’s brutal heatwave has been claiming wildlife across districts, with another round of over 500 bats dropping dead in Kanker district after 200 were reported dead in Korba recently. Over 15 wild birds and animals, including peacocks and palm civets, were also found dead in Khairagarh’s Dallikholi-Lachhna forest belt.The deaths, reported amid soaring temperatures during Nautapa, have alarmed villagers and forest officials, turning the state’s heatwave from a public health concern into an ecological warning.In Kanker district, Sarona villagers said bats have been falling from trees in large numbers over the past three to four days. Many were seen collapsing suddenly from branches before dying within minutes, spreading panic among residents who have now begun avoiding tree-covered stretches.Locals estimate that more than 500 bats have died in the village so far. Officials suspect severe heat stress and dehydration caused by prolonged exposure to hot winds may have triggered the deaths.A similar alarm was raised from Khairagarh district, where carcasses of wild birds and animals were found in the Dallikholi forest under the Lachhna sub-circle. The dead included three peacocks — one male and two females — two owls, two crows, an Oriental magpie robin, a rufous treepie, a black drongo and five palm civets.Forest staff reached the spot after receiving information from a Dongargarh resident. The carcasses were collected and the area around a nearby water source was placed under watch to rule out poisoning or suspicious activity.A veterinary team from Kanan Pendari, Bilaspur, later conducted postmortems. Officials said initial findings pointed to heatwave impact, with extreme hot winds causing severe internal damage in the animals. Viscera samples and water samples from the nearby source have been preserved for further testing.Khairagarh DFO Pankaj Rajput said the deaths appear, prima facie, to have been caused by heatwave conditions, though further investigation is under way.The wildlife deaths come at a time when large parts of Chhattisgarh are reeling under dry, furnace-like conditions. Rajnandgaon recorded 45.5 degrees Celsius in the past 24 hours, while Raipur has crossed 45 degrees Celsius. Central Chhattisgarh is likely to continue facing heatwave conditions for the next two to three days, the weather office said.