10 Sep Fly By Night Bat Clinic – Grey Headed Flying Foxes Victoria
During late 2019, Adelaide and Victoria were significantly impacted with heat events that we suspect killed a significant number of that years’ young pups. It was estimated that we lost over 10 thousand flying foxes in Victoria alone – a devastating outcome.
The coinciding bushfires in turn destroyed a large amount of the feeding grounds of the native Grey Headed Flying Foxes. Fire and smoke pushed the flying foxes towards Melbourne city and surrounds. Those who sought refuge in suburban areas were then at risk of dangerous fruit tree netting that covered trees that they were desperately seeking for food. Entangled animals required rescue, rehabilitation and for some, unfortunately euthanasia.
Emergency Funding from Wildlife Heroes – FNPW gave carers a lifeline and helped with ongoing costs of rescue, rehabilitation and the hundreds of kilograms fruit required daily for not only the 300 plus pups that were orphaned from the heat events over the December 2019 / January 2020 Summer but the surviving and struggling GHFFs coming into care on a daily basis. In fact, support feeding for these animals has only just wrapped up- 5 months beyond our ‘normal’ feeding period.
This past season saw the largest intake of animals taken into care by multiple carers in Victoria. We were able to assist Adelaide by taking a small number of pups, before we too were hit but continuous days of heat and 100s of very young GHFF orphans.
When Covid-19 restrictions came into place during the early stages of soft release the fruit access became harder, so we were able to hire a coolroom to house the kilos of fruit required for the soft release program over 50kg per day for several months on end.
Without the support from volunteers and grants like this, we would not have been able to save as many of this keystone species.