Help Baby Bats Take Flight!

Winter is finally coming to Sydney- it's been unseasonably warm all April, and hasn't really felt like the end of season. But it is. The creche cage is finally empty- we had 89 pups this year, all grey headed flying foxes. Most of them were released into the local colony in Gordon, while 3 had to be taken North to Coff's Harbour. They were needed a bit more time to be release-ready. By the time they were, most of the main colony had moved on. Sometimes its easy to forget that naturally flying foxes are nomadic, and only stay long periods in one location because we have reduced their habitat so much.

This year wasn't the worst that we have endured, but certainly wasn't the best either. While there were no heat stress events in Sydney this season, there were some days that were close. We were able to put our heat stress training to use, and rather than intervene immediately, kept the "at risk"  colonies under surveillance. We worked in shifts, and cooperated closely with other wildlife rescue groups. We also equiped the branches with new sprayers, so that in case they were needed, we could cool the bats down efficiently. This is one of the ways that we aim to improve our care, even as climate change makes these events more common.

There was a bat heat stress event on the central coast this season, and a number of our carers went to help. They came back with car-loads of bats, that we cared for for the rest of the season. The unusual drama this year was that some of the bats in that colony turned out to test positive for ABLV. Fortunately none of the ones that came to Kukundi, but it was a timely reminder to remain careful and up to date with vaccinations. ABLV is very uncommon, but it can happen, and we need to be constantly aware.

Another threat this year came in the form of a hungry goanna. A 1.5 m goanna loitered for a while near the release case in Gordon. We reinforced the cage to make sure that he stayed hungry. He did. And finally moved off, no doubt rather annoyed.

Now the season has ended, the numbers of bats coming into care now is quite low. But there are still some, like Jarrah (pictured) who was rescued from powerlines this week.

There is always work to do, and we are lucky to have a great group of dedicated volunteers.

But equally vital our our supporters. This year I was stunned by the generosity of a couple of of donors, who have made repeated donations to help. I can't emphasise how much I appreciate your support. It is much more than just the money, its also knowing that there are other people out there who care, and share our entirely rational but maybe-sometimes-a-little-bit-bonkers obsession with bats.

We are very honoured and appreciative to have you on board supporting this vital but vulnerable keystone species.

Thank you!