Blue Mountains WIRES volunteers have grave concerns for the survival of flying foxes at an Emu Plains camp as the mercury again tops 40 degrees.
On January 7, when it hit 47 degrees in Emu Plains, at least 500 flying foxes died at the camp, according to WIRES Blue Mountains branch chairperson Ann Tierney.
Primarily babies, or pups as they're known, died and scores were orphaned.
Several dehydrated flying foxes were taken into care in the Blue Mountains, and one black flying fox pup made her way to Emu Heights, where she was rescued by WIRES volunteer Ron Flynn from Faulconbridge.
Now 12 weeks old, under Mr Flynn’s care, she’s steadily gaining weight and health.
Mr Flynn specialises in the care of flying foxes and microbats.
“Forty two degrees is a critical temperature for the Emu Plains colony. You start getting animals dehydrating,” Mr Flynn said.
“Each hot day knocks them. You start to see some of them just falling out of the trees because they are so weak that they can’t hang on any more.”
“From 38 degrees we start monitoring the colonies,” Ms Tierney added.
“From 42 degrees the blacks [black flying foxes] die. They’re a tropical flying fox but up there they don’t get the extremes. Here they get the extremes and can’t thermoregulate.”
The Emu Plains camp is home to the black flying fox as well as the grey head flying fox, which is listed as a vulnerable species.
Adults fly up to 50km a night and camp out from September to April, and head north for winter.
They live for about 15 years.
The main source of food for flying foxes is nectar and fruit.
Often they become tangled in netting that people place over fruit trees to protect them.
It is not recommended you touch a flying fox or cut it out of netting, but call WIRES immediately on 1300 094 737 instead.
“People need to be aware that they do have sharp teeth and claws and can get scratched,” Ms Tierney said.
A small percentage of flying foxes carry the lyssavirus, which can be fatal to humans if untreated.
If a person is scratched, the flying fox has to be tested for the virus, which requires it be euthanased, Ms Tierney said.
Mr Flynn has been a WIRES carer in the Blue Mountains for nine years.
He may keep a flying fox pup anywhere from three weeks to three months, nursing it back to health.
At 14 weeks old the pups are usually taken to an aviary at Lane Cove for four weeks where they learn to become teenagers, and then venture out on their own.
