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Our next story takes us to Germany, where authorities have closed parks and playgrounds, not because of extreme heat but because of poisonous caterpillars. Didn't see that coming. Esme Nicholson reports.
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ESME NICHOLSON: Some kids' playgrounds in Berlin look more like crime scenes these days. Swings, slides and roundabouts are cordoned off with red-and-white tape warning parents, do not cross. The culprit is a tiny but toxic caterpillar whose 600,000 hairs can cause hives, rashes, respiratory problems and even anaphylactic shock. Known as the oak processionary caterpillar, they nest in oak trees, which, in Berlin, typically offer shade but is now considered dangerous. The much-needed shade at this playground is provided by linden trees, a source of relief for 38-year-old Susanna Heidelin (ph), who is here with her two young kids and has been worried more about heatstroke than caterpillars.
SUSANNA HEIDELIN: (Through interpreter) I have to admit that we were recently at a playground where the climbing frames were roped off, but we climbed on them anyway and took the risk.
NICHOLSON: Heidelin says that record temperatures of 107 degrees over the weekend drove her and other parents like them out of their apartments, which, like most here, have no air conditioning.
HEIDELIN: (Through interpreter) We fled the city during the day. But at night, we had no choice other than to endure the heat. It was hard, and we ended up sleeping under wet towels instead of blankets.
NICHOLSON: The caterpillars have been around for years, but authorities are seeing more of them as temperatures rise, and they are spreading faster than they can be counted. Berlin's city authorities are at odds over who is responsible for removing the nests, a costly process involving hazmat-suited teams wielding vacuums. Derk Ehlert from Berlin's Urban Development Office told public broadcaster RBB that it's the job of the city's districts, not city hall.
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DERK EHLERT: (Through interpreter) It's not necessary to take action against a caterpillar everywhere, only near daycare centers and where people are at risk or are particularly sensitive or where there are hospitals.
NICHOLSON: As record temperatures finally start to drop, Berliners can reopen their windows to let out the oppressive heat that has built up inside stuffy apartments over the past week. But authorities now warn that the caterpillar's toxic hairs spread easily in the breeze and advise against opening any windows.
For NPR News, I'm Esme Nicholson in Berlin.
(SOUNDBITE OF COME'S "GERMAN SONG") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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