Since the beginning of the dog days of summer in Wuhan, the highest temperature has soared above 40°C, setting a record as the hottest dog days in nearly 50 years. In such extreme weather conditions, not only is it hard for humans to endure, but even birds are struggling to cope.
On July 4th, a Wuhan netizen posted a picture with a caption saying, “Wuhan is too hot, even the pigeons are suffering from heatstroke.”
The picture showed a pigeon lying on the ground, with a dazed look in its eyes, not moving at all. A passerby brought a small bucket of water to bathe the bird and cool it down. The “fainted pigeon” only regained consciousness and came back to life after this cooling off.
According to a report from the “Xiaoxiang Morning Post,” the bird suffering from heatstroke was actually an Oriental Honey Buzzard. The Oriental Honey Buzzard is a small raptor of the Accipitridae family, known for its long, pointed wings. Due to its resemblance to pigeons in appearance, it is also referred to as a “pigeon hawk.”
According to information from chinanews.com, due to the persistent high temperatures, cases of heatstroke are on the rise. Data released by the Wuhan Occupational Disease Prevention and Treatment Institute shows that 155 people have sought medical treatment for heatstroke this year, with 5 unfortunate deaths, marking the first time in 3 years that fatal cases of heatstroke have occurred.
A young man from Xinjiang had originally planned to escape the heat in Wuhan but was surprised to find that the heat wave in Wuhan was even hotter than Xinjiang. “I thought Wuhan would be around 30°C, but as soon as I arrived, it was so hot that I couldn’t catch my breath,” he said.