08 Oct, 2019

Flying-Foxes Hanging Around in The City Of Adelaide

Anyone who has walked near the Adelaide Zoo-end of the Botanic Gardens in the last few years and looked up would have noticed the colony of flying foxes hanging around in the trees.

The city is currently home to close to 20,000 of these Grey-headed Flying-foxes, with this important population increasing every year. The City of Adelaide is providing some fun and interactive ways to learn all about this nationally-threatened species that has found a new home in Adelaide.

Bat enthusiasts can follow a ‘bat trail’ along the Torrens from the Uni footbridge towards Botanic Park, where tags attached to trees will provide valuable information about these fascinating creatures. They will also be easy to spot up in the trees.

Youngsters will be taking part in fun and informative school holiday activities at Bat Camp, while adults can join in twilight Bat Rambles where they will learn about these often-misunderstood animals.

Lord Mayor of Adelaide Sandy Verschoor said that the City of Adelaide was working to increase understanding of this protected species and the bat trail provided a great opportunity to have fun while doing so.

“Make your way down to Botanic Park, read the tree tags and stop and have a look up at our cute and furry city residents,” said the Lord Mayor.

“The trail is sure to be popular with people of all ages, and the Bat Rambles for the adults and the Bat Camp for the kids have proven to be very popular with both now fully booked out. Not only will they be a heap of fun, but they’ll also provide a great chance to learn more about the city’s flying foxes.”

The Grey-headed Flying-foxes have been in Adelaide for ten years now. They are generally found on the east coast of Australia but have become ‘climate refugees’, seeking new habitats and food sources as existing ones become increasingly under pressure.

These animals require our protection and understanding in order to survive. They are very important for ecological systems as they pollinate and spread the seed of over 100 native plants, helping our natural areas to regenerate effectively into the future.

Bat colonies are also appearing in the South-East and Naracoorte, so it would seem the bats are spreading their wings across the State.

Some flying-foxes can carry disease, so it is important not to touch them, but looking at them or seeing them overhead is perfectly safe. If anyone comes across a bat on the ground, they can contact the City of Adelaide Park Lands Ranger on 0407 394 662 or Fauna Rescue’s Flying Fox Helpline on 8486 1139.

The Bat Camp and Bat Ramble are booked out, but media are welcome to come along and film these events or talk to the bat experts about the Grey-headed Flying-fox. The Bat Trail will be in place until mid-December.

Paula Stevens