For more than a century, Australia’s flying foxes have been misunderstood, hated, and persecuted. Targeted for extermination, countless thousands have been killed. Vast populations have been reduced to endangered status and are now additionally threatened by climate change and exaggerated disease warnings.
Nevertheless, as their primate-like sophistication and essential roles as forest pollinators and seed dispersers have become better recognized, growing numbers of Australians are coming to the rescue in the nick of time.
We congratulate the city of Greater Bendigo’s Rosalind Park Gardens Coordinator, Orrin Hogan, in Victoria for his personal efforts. Having seen more than 200 grey-headed flying foxes (Pteropus poliocephalus) perish due to a 2020 heatwave, he convinced the city council to support a novel idea—a rainforest canopy sprinkler system in the bats’ roosting area to provide cooling during extreme weather.
The park provides critical roosting habitat for up to 30,000 grey-headed flying foxes. Australia’s flying foxes have suffered an extreme loss of mature forests along rivers, their traditionally preferred roosting areas, known as “camps.” Today’s remnant populations have few options but to move into cities in search of mature trees in which to take shelter. Desperate city bats face higher temperatures as well as harassment from citizens who often find resulting noise and droppings objectionable.
Boosted by funds from Australia’s World Wildlife Fund and from the Victoria government, temporary canopy sprinklers were installed in time for the 2021 season. Aerial sprinklers distribute rain-like droplets on extremely hot days. They are turned on for only a few minutes hourly when the temperature reaches 40° C (104° F).
Once acclimated, the bats appeared to enjoy the misting. They would approach sprinklers and spread their wings. Most importantly, no more deaths were detected during peak heat in 2021. Additionally, special efforts are being made to maintain tree health in the bats’ roosting area. This is important, as too many flying foxes occupying a single roost for too long can damage foliage. Hogan hopes his success may encourage additional communities to help Australia’s now desperate flying foxes.