New normal habits avoid virus danger
Masked shopper
SHOPPERS leave food in bags for an average of 27 minutes before unpacking them to keep germs at bay.
And the average time we leave our post before we touch it is 41 minutes.
Binning shopping bags after one use is another habit people have developed to dodge Covid-19.
Three quarters of people have developed new routines, a study for sanitiser Fulvisafe found.
Almost four in 10 clean door handles, nearly a quarter wear face masks at the supermarket and close to a fifth no longer stroke strangers’ dogs.
Fulvisafe founder Nicola Smuts-allsop said: “With statistics showing people will stick to new routines for at least a few months, this paints a picture of the new normal for many.”
Many dead animals have been seen near water holes
FROM NATIONAL PARK RESCUE
THESE distressing photos show some of the nearly 400 elephants who have fallen victim to a mystery killer in recent weeks.
The mass die-off in northern Botswana is described by scientists as a “conservation disaster”.
The elephants were first thought to be victims of poachers, but none have been shot or have had their valuable tusks removed.
Deaths were first reported in the Okavango Delta in early May, with 169 by the end of the month. By mid-june the number had more than doubled. Local sources said 70% were around waterholes.
Dr Niall Mccann, of charity National Park Rescue, said: “This is a mass die-off on a level that hasn’t been seen in a very, very long time. Some fell on their face, indicating they died very quickly.”
So far the Botswana government has not tested samples of water so it is still unclear what is the cause.
Prof Keith Somerville from the University of Kent’s Durrell Institute said: “Over 40,000 cattle died in northern Ngamiland [in northwestern Botswana] in the drought.
“It is possible their carcasses in or near waterholes introduced toxins or bacteria that caused elephant deaths, but the question is, why only elephants?”
This is a mass die-off on a level that hasn’t been seen in a very, long long time
DR NIALL MCCANN