They come in the night, flocks of furred flying mammals, sweeping the vast skies over the valleys in search of food. But wildlife rescuers are concerned about the future of the grey-headed flying fox.
Listed as vulnerable under the NSW Threatened Species Conservation Act, flying foxes are a keystone species, performing a vital function in the native ecosystem, pollinating and distributing seeds for many native plants.
But every year, many flying foxes are injured or killed in netting used to protect fruit trees.
According to WIRES, their preferred food source is pollen and nectar from eucalypts and other flowering natives, but land clearing and changes in climate can disrupt their feeding patterns.
“This year there’s a major food shortage,” says Ann Tierney, education officer for WIRES.
“They have to find nutrition, so they go for fruit trees and get caught in netting,” she added.
In the Blue Mountains WIRES has received 46 calls for flying foxes since November 1.
WIRES flying fox rehabilitator Storm Stanford said the pups are being abandoned due to the food shortage and a greater number of the rescue calls were for the flying foxes caught in tree netting and orchards.
Blue Mountains residents can help by choosing animal friendly netting to protect all species.
“If a child can stick their smallest finger through the netting, the holes are too big,” Ms Tierney says, “and if it’s just loosely draped, animals can get tangled more easily.”
For more information about netting go to http://www.wires.org.au/wil
If you come across a trapped flying fox, do not touch it. If possible, offer some shade by holding up a towel and call WIRES on 1300 094 737.
The WIRES 2017 wildlife calender features twelve images of Australian native animals in the wild and stories of animals who have been rescued. http://www.wires.org.au/wildlife-info/calendar. Cost is $19.95.
