Damon Mcknight
Flying foxes, also known as fruit bats, are native to Australia and play a vital role in maintaining the health of the country's ecosystems. They are a keystone species, responsible for pollinating trees at night and helping to regenerate forests. Despite their importance, flying foxes are often misunderstood and maligned, with people considering them pests due to their presence in cities and towns, their impact on fruit growers, and potential disease threats. While they are protected under national environmental laws, populations of flying foxes are in decline due to various factors, including habitat destruction, heat stress, and the use of harmful netting.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Status | Flying foxes are protected under national environmental law in Australia. They are considered a protected native species by state governments. |
| Species | The Grey-headed Flying-fox, Spectacled Flying-fox, and Christmas Island Flying-fox are listed under national environmental law. |
| Population | Populations of flying foxes, particularly the Grey-headed and Spectacled species, have declined significantly in recent decades, with some predicting functional extinction by 2050. |
| Habitat | Flying foxes are found across various vegetation types in Australia, typically near water and with a dense understorey. They are highly mobile and can range up to 40 km from their camps at night in search of food. |
| Food Sources | Flying foxes feed on plant products such as fruit, flowers, pollen, and nectar. They play a vital role in pollination and seed dispersal, contributing to the health of ecosystems and the survival of threatened rainforests. |
| Threats | Habitat destruction, camp disturbances, starvation, heat events, and human-made hazards like power lines, barbed wire, and dangerous netting around fruit trees pose significant threats to flying foxes. |
| Health Risks | Flying foxes are natural hosts to rare but serious diseases, including Australian Bat Lyssavirus (ABLV), which can be transmitted to humans through bites, scratches, or contact with saliva. |
| Public Perception | Flying foxes are often misunderstood and maligned, portrayed negatively in the media, and treated as pests. However, efforts are being made to normalise them and promote empathy and coexistence. |
| Legal Action | Shooting bats for crop protection has been made illegal across Australia, with a phase-out period underway in Queensland until 2026. Victoria and the Australian Capital Territory have also outlawed the use of unsafe netting. |
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What You'll Learn
Flying foxes are a protected species
Flying foxes, large bats native to Australia, are a protected species. They are considered keystone species, meaning many other plants and animals rely on them for survival and well-being. They are the only species that pollinate trees at night, when most Australian trees need to be pollinated, and they also disperse seeds. This makes them vital to the survival of threatened rainforests such as the Wet Tropics and Gondwana Rainforests, both listed as World Heritage sites.
Despite their importance to the ecosystem, flying foxes are often misunderstood and maligned. They are sometimes treated as pests, and their search for food in backyards and orchards can bring them into conflict with humans. They have been shot to protect crops, and they can become trapped in netting. They are also vulnerable to heat stress, and their populations are declining. The Grey-headed Flying-fox, the Spectacled Flying-fox, and the Christmas Island Flying-fox are listed under national environmental law (the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999, or the EPBC Act). The numbers of all three EPBC-listed flying-foxes have declined in recent times, due to habitat clearance, natural stochastic events, and culling.
All species of flying-fox are considered protected native species by state governments, irrespective of their national listing status. It is illegal to shoot them for crop protection in most of Australia, and this legislation is being phased in across Queensland until 2026. Victoria and the Australian Capital Territory have also made the use of unsafe netting illegal, and other states are encouraged to follow suit.
It is important to remember that flying-foxes are wild animals and should be admired from a distance. They are natural hosts of some rare but serious diseases that are transmissible to humans, such as Australian Bat Lyssavirus (ABLV). However, they pose no danger to people if left alone, and they are unlikely to damage gardens.
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They are important for the environment
Flying foxes are protected in Australia under national environmental law. The Grey-headed Flying-fox, Spectacled Flying-fox, and Christmas Island Flying-fox are listed as vulnerable species under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. All species of flying foxes are considered protected native species by state governments.
Flying foxes are large bats that feed on plant products such as fruit, flowers, pollen, and nectar. They are highly mobile, ranging up to 40 km from their camps at night to feed, and they move across hundreds of kilometres to follow the flowering and fruiting of their food sources.
Flying foxes play a vital role in maintaining the health of Australian ecosystems. They are important pollinators and contribute to seed dispersal, ensuring the survival of threatened rainforests such as the Wet Tropics and Gondwana Rainforests, both listed as World Heritage sites.
One hundred species of native trees rely on the Grey-headed Flying-fox for pollination and seed dispersal. These trees and plants are serviced by flying foxes every night of their lives. By foraging on the nectar and pollen of eucalypts, melaleucas, and banksias, and the fruits of rainforest trees and vines, flying foxes help maintain the health of these plant species.
Despite their importance to the environment, flying foxes are often misunderstood and viewed negatively due to concerns about noise, damage to vegetation, and potential disease transmission. However, these concerns can be mitigated by admiring flying foxes from a distance and following appropriate health guidelines in the rare case of direct contact.
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They are vulnerable to heat stress
Flying foxes are protected in Australia under national environmental law. The Grey-headed Flying-fox, Spectacled Flying-fox, and Christmas Island Flying-fox are listed under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (the EPBC Act). All species of flying-fox are considered protected native species by state governments.
Flying-foxes are vulnerable to heat stress, and extreme heat events can cause mass die-offs. Research has been conducted to understand the vulnerability of flying-foxes to extreme heat events and provide an evidence base for management and conservation. The conspicuous roosting habits of flying-foxes allow for easy examinations of the impacts on both individuals and populations.
The Flying-Fox Heat Stress Forecaster, developed by the Lab of Animal Ecology, uses landscape-scale weather predictions from computer model data to forecast wildlife die-offs from extreme heat events. However, the predictions may under- or overestimate maximum temperatures, especially at the small scale of individual flying-fox camps.
Factors such as variation in fur properties may explain differences in heat-related mortality among Australian flying-foxes. Heat stress can also lead to the abandonment of pups, further impacting the population.
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They are threatened by habitat destruction
Flying foxes are protected in Australia under national environmental law. The Grey-headed Flying-fox, Spectacled Flying-fox, and Christmas Island Flying-fox are listed under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (the EPBC Act). Despite this, flying foxes are often considered pests due to their perceived role in damaging crops. Orchard damages from other animals are often misattributed to flying foxes, and farmers may legally or illegally cull them to prevent fruit damage.
The expansion of agricultural and urban areas has led to an increase in the living proximity of humans and flying foxes. This has resulted in more human-bat interactions, enhancing the spillover risk of zoonotic diseases. For example, the long-tailed macaque and crested serpent eagle could be considered potential predators of flying foxes in Indonesia, and ecological interactions such as these enable the mutual exchange of body fluids, facilitating disease transmission.
Additionally, flying fox camps can be large and may occur in trees close to houses and livestock. Residents living near these camps have expressed concerns about noise, damage to vegetation, and hygiene. Proposals to disperse camps, move or shift camp boundaries, or clear important roosting or foraging habitats can impact flying fox populations and must be referred to the Australian government to ensure consistency with national environmental law.
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They are a public health concern
Flying foxes are protected under national environmental law in Australia. The Grey-headed Flying-fox, Spectacled Flying-fox, and Christmas Island Flying-fox are listed as protected under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (the EPBC Act). All species of flying-fox are considered protected native species by state governments.
Flying foxes are a public health concern as they are natural hosts of some rare but serious diseases that can be transmitted to humans. Australian bats, including flying foxes, are natural carriers of the Australian Bat Lyssavirus (ABLV), a virus closely related to the rabies virus. Although ABLV infection is rare, it is invariably fatal, affecting the central nervous system. It is transmitted from infected bats to humans through bites, scratches, or contact with saliva or neural tissue through broken skin or mucous membranes. As a result, individuals are advised to treat all bats as potential carriers of ABLV and avoid any physical contact.
In addition to ABLV, flying foxes are also natural hosts of the Hendra virus, which can cause severe and often fatal disease in horses. While human infection is rare, it typically occurs through close contact with infected horses or their body fluids. All areas in Australia where flying foxes and horses coexist are considered at risk of Hendra virus transmission.
The presence of flying fox camps near human residences has raised concerns among residents regarding hygiene and potential disease transmission. These camps can be large and are often located in trees close to houses and livestock. While flying foxes play a vital role in maintaining healthy ecosystems through pollination and seed dispersal, their proximity to human populations can increase the risk of disease transmission and warrants adherence to health and safety guidelines.
It is important to note that exposure to blood, urine, or faeces of flying foxes is not known to transmit ABLV. However, individuals should exercise caution and seek urgent medical attention if bitten, scratched, or exposed to the saliva of a flying fox. Trained and vaccinated individuals with appropriate personal protective equipment should handle flying foxes to minimise the risk of disease transmission.
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Frequently asked questions
Yes, flying foxes are protected in Australia. They are considered a protected native species by state governments and are important for the environment.
Flying foxes are large bats that feed on plant products such as fruit, flowers, pollen, and nectar. They play a vital role in maintaining healthy ecosystems by pollinating flowers and dispersing seeds. They are also responsible for helping to regenerate forests.
Flying foxes face several threats in Australia, including habitat destruction, human-made hazards such as power lines and barbed wire, and harmful backyard fruit tree netting. They are also sometimes targeted with lethal and non-lethal measures to protect fruit crops.
Flying foxes are wild animals and should be admired from a distance. They are natural hosts to some rare but serious diseases, including Australian Bat Lyssavirus (ABLV), which can be transmitted to humans through bites, scratches, or contact with saliva. If you are bitten or scratched by a flying fox, seek immediate medical attention.
You can help protect flying foxes by supporting efforts to change the public narrative and promote empathy and coexistence. This can include sharing accurate information, supporting wildlife-friendly practices such as using wildlife-safe netting, and reporting any suspected violations of protection laws to the appropriate authorities.
