Flying foxes fighting food shortage

Flying foxes are in trouble, with a significant number of dead pups at one of the shire’s roosts.

Eurobodalla Council’s flying fox officer Natalie Foster collected 75 dead pups from the Batemans Bay Water Gardens flying fox camp. She said it was likely the crèched pups had been abandoned as adults dispersed in search of food.

“It’s not only here,” Ms Foster said.

“It seems drought, and potentially fire, are impacting flying foxes across the state, with reports of large numbers of dead and fallen flying foxes, mainly pups, from Bega Valley, Shoalhaven, Parramatta and the Hunter,” Ms Foster said.

“In our shire, we’re getting reports of the bats foraging in back yards and even roosting there, in ones and twos. That’s consistent with how flying foxes behave during periods of food shortage.”

Ms Foster said the struggling animals were essential to the environmental health of the region.

“Flying foxes are our night-time pollinators and without this keystone species some eucalypt species may not get pollinated,” she said.

“We’re seeing many of our native animals struggling with food shortages and the increasing loss of habitat continues to be a problem for many species.”

Eurobodalla Councils manager of environmental services Deb Lenson said members of the public should not handle sick or dying bats.

“Report sick flying foxes to wildlife protections groups,” Ms Lenson said.

“The bats have been known to carry lyssavirus, which can be transmitted to humans when infected flying fox saliva comes in contact with open wounds or mucus membranes like our eyes, nose or mouth.”

Ms Lenson said there was no risk of exposure to lyssavirus when flying foxes fly overhead or feed/roost in gardens, “lyssavirus is not spread through droppings or urine and you won’t contract it by being near flying foxes”.

“To dispose of dead flying foxes, wear heavy-duty gloves to transfer the animal into your red-lid bin. Or contact Council on 4474 1000 if they are on Council-managed land,” she said.

For more information on flying foxes in Eurobodalla, including the shire’s Flying Fox Management Plan, visit the Flying-foxes page.