newy.com.au – Hundreds of flying-foxes at Blackalls Park and Cooranbong are caught in an east coast starvation event, according to Lake Macquarie City Council, as wildlife carers report deaths among adults and newborn pups.
Council environmental systems manager Daniel Woods said tens of thousands of bats were affected along Australia’s east coast. He attributed the food shortage to an unusually warm winter that had disrupted the flowering of trees the animals rely on.
Mr Woods said hungry flying-foxes were turning to other food sources that could cause further harm, including green cocos palm fruit. Across Lake Macquarie, there had been a sharp rise in adult and juvenile bats being found weak or dead.
Hunter Wildlife Rescue flying fox coordinator Judith Hopper said starvation and toxin intake in recent months had caused a wave of premature births, with most of those pups dying. Adult deaths had followed as conditions worsened.
“We are now facing the loss of almost an entire generation,” she said.
Ms Hopper said flying-foxes could have only one young each year, making the losses particularly damaging to a population already affected by the Black Summer bushfires and continuing heat stress. She warned that the Blackalls Park camp was particularly prone to heat stress.
Flying-foxes play an important role in pollination and seed dispersal, helping sustain native forests.
The crisis has also placed pressure on wildlife rescuers and carers.
“We’ve taken 365 calls since the crisis started and the emotional toll on dedicated rescuers and carers is huge,” Ms Hopper said.
Residents who find sick or injured bats are urged to contact Hunter Wildlife Rescue and not handle the animals themselves. Mr Woods warned that bats can carry lyssavirus, which can be fatal to humans. Ms Hopper said only trained and vaccinated people were permitted to handle flying-foxes.
She also asked residents to keep dogs indoors at night when flying-foxes were nearby. Hungry bats were increasingly seeking food in smaller trees within reach of dogs, leading to more attacks, she said.
“If people could keep dogs in at night when they know there are flying-foxes around, that would be an enormous help,” she said.
More information and details on donating towards the care of flying-foxes and other native wildlife are available through the Hunter Wildlife Rescue website.
