Ask any Melbournian 10 years ago what they saw in the evening sky around 7pm and you’d get descriptions of a sunset sky, blackened by large bats. The numbers would reach well into the thousands as hordes and hordes of GreyHeaded Fruit Bats soared in the night air without end.
Fast forward to 2018 and the sight is devastatingly different. The movement of these same bats is described as a light peppering at best.
Majestic Icon to Threatened Species
The Grey Headed Flying Fox (Pteropus poliocephalus) is a species of megabat native to Australia’s eastern regions. They’re identified by their characteristic red chest and the eponymous grey fur on their remaining legs and head.
These mammals are the largest known bat genus in Australia, boasting a wingspan of up to 3.4 feet and a
keen sense of smell that allows it to locate food, particularly sustenance that is sweet in nature, including fruits, nectar and pollen which it licks from the surfaces of native Australian flowers. While the main habitat of these majestic winged beasts usually include woodlands and rainforests, large populations can be seen flying through the suburbs at nights, locations which have proved dangerous to their wellbeing and are contributing to their current plight.
Main Threats
Studies undertaken to determine the cause of their decline in numbers has shown that the main cause of their current status is in fact fruit nets. While these nets are utilised by suburban residents to protect their garden produce, many of the bats are becoming entangled within them with lethal results. Much time passes before they’re are noticed and help is provided, resulting in the bat dying from strangulation and/or dehydration.
Residents of areas with high counts of the flying fox have been encouraged to opt for safer netting with larger holes. This allows for the protection of fruit, but allows more room for the bats to escape should their attempts fail.
The Grey Headed Fruit bat has since been listed as a vulnerable species under the EPBC Act in 2001, with remaining numbers sitting at less than 400,000, declining by 30% since studies conducted in the late 90’s. A devastating statistic.
Generational Loss:
Another harrowing reality to their decline is the propensity for
their young to fall from their mother’s pouches mid-flight or when the mothers get entangled in the aforementioned netting. Special task forces organised by conservation bodies conduct rescue missions regularly to collect orphaned babies, with as many as 100 young being collected per rescue effort. They’re later brought into a facility where they are given medical attention and rehabilitated to be released back into the wild. This has contributed hugely to their decline with wildlife bodies struggling to rescue them due to the voluntary nature of the groups and consequently, a lack of investment and resources.
An Uncertain Future
While these remarkable efforts are producing some positive results, the future of the Grey Headed Flying Fox is still uncertain. Particularly concerning was the 2012 introduction of legislation empowering individuals to shoot bats on site to protect fruit crops in both Queensland and New South Wales. This led to public outcry as the species has been listed as vulnerable under the NSW Biodiversity Conservation (BC) Act 2016, the Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Protection (EPBC) Act 1999, and the International Red List.
Nicki Markus of “The Chief Conservation Office of Bush Heritage” further stated that “the flying foxes are foresters keeping the eco-system together. If we are to keep the remnants of our forests healthy, we need the flying foxes. The two are inseparable.”
With much at stake regarding this unique and volatile creature, more public concern, education and volunteer work has been contributed to safeguard their welfare, but the future seems bleak for these winged wanderers
as they try to navigate feeding opportunities in areas densely populated by human habitation.
Preventative Measures:
The only obvious means of assisting the regeneration of bat populations as well as protecting their species is through governments taking the existing intervention measures one step further. A full ban on the shooting of bats should be the first step taken in a bid to stop the immediate deaths of these endangered creatures.
Secondly, executive bodies should introduce netting regulations where producers and suppliers must adhere to creating and selling netting solutions that are proven to protect fruit stock as well as allowing enough wiggle room from bats to escape should they become entangled. By putting legal pressure on manufacturers, we will see a greater increase in the presence of these majestic “Aussie icons” in the night sky as they rebalance the ecosystem for the benefit of the eastern states.
