Heatwave Crisis: Arizona Wildlife Center Treats 120 Heat-Stricken Animals Daily

The sweltering Arizona summer is affecting not only humans but also furry and feathered creatures, with one Phoenix-based wildlife center treating up to 120 heat-stricken animals daily.

“I don’t think anyone goes unscathed in this climate,” Megan Mosby, Executive Director of the non-profit Liberty Wildlife, told CNN.

Every animal that has been brought to the center since late June — birds, rabbits, squirrels, and more — has been suffering from dehydration, Mosby noted.

The Phoenix area has experienced 27 consecutive days with temperatures exceeding 110 degrees. At least 25 people in the area have succumbed to heat-related deaths so far this year, and another 249 deaths are under investigation.

This year has been the worst for animals that Mosby can recall, with around 120 animals brought in on a "bad day," she told the outlet.

Over the past four years, the center has treated more than 10,000 animals annually. However, Mosby expects the center to receive 8,000 animals by the end of July.

To mitigate the effects of the heat, volunteers and employees spray the animals with water twice a day and provide them with water for drinking and bathing.

Baby birds are particularly vulnerable as hot breezes can blow them from the shelter of their nests, where their lack of feathers leaves them exposed to intense sunlight, Mosby explained.

Arizona’s Game and Fish Department is also helping by ensuring that man-made watering holes remain stocked for thirsty wildlife.

Deer, elk, bighorn sheep, and other animals depend on approximately 3,000 watering holes across the state, Habitat Planning Program Manager Joseph Currie told CNN.

The heat in Arizona has been so severe that simple falls to the ground are causing life-threatening burns and melting shoes.

This week, the heat is expected to spread beyond the Southwest to the Midwest and Northeast, potentially bringing record temperatures.

At least 45 states and over 100 million Americans will experience temperatures of 90 degrees or higher at some point this week, according to AccuWeather.