By Chris Oldfield: AROUND 5,000 or so grey-headed flying foxes, often called fruit bats, currently have two main camps – one near Naracoorte and the other around Mount Burr. The flying foxes can carry the deadly Lyssavirus and Hendra virus – anyone scratched or bitten must seek urgent medical attention. Even dead bats are considered too dangerous to touch, particularly as the highly fatal Lyssavirus has been found in SA bat populations. With a wingspan of up to one metre, they can weigh as much as one kilogram. During the day bats can be seen roosting upside down in their “camps”. At dusk they leave their camp to forage for food up to 20 kms away, sometimes much more, returning at dawn. They usually like to feed on nectar from flowering gums. One of the main camps for flying foxes locally is in pines near the Naracoorte Caves. But readers […]
Flying foxes among us
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