Grey-headed flying foxes hang from tree and take flight for the night

WAYS YOU CAN HELP THE FLYING FOXES

Thanks for coming out to learn about the bats with us and Yarra City Council. The flying foxes are a species critical to maintaining a healthy ecosystem, have been culturally significant for thousands of years, and, when you stop to take a closer look, they’re extremely cute!

Ensuring their survival into the future requires individual, community, and advocacy actions from all of us. We’ve rounded up a few ways you can support flying fox conservation below, including contacting the Victorian Environment Minister with a pre-drafted letter which you can find here.

  • Donate

    Donate to local wildlife shelters like Fly By Night Bat Clinic or Bat Rescue Bayside. Before donating, you can reach out to these organisations to find out what they need most, depending on the time of year, they may require donations in the form of fruit or towels and blankets.

    Garden

    If you have a garden, plant natives like grevilleas, banksias, or eucalypts (the bats love the floral nectar).

    If you currently have fruit trees in your garden, ensure you are using wildlife-safe netting (mesh smaller than 5mm), or remove some of the netting and share your fruit with the flying foxes.

    Stay informed

    Learn more about the importance of protecting biodiversity and subscribe to the Biodiversity Council’s newsletter.

  • Volunteer

    Volunteer with Friends of Bats and Bushcare or other local planting groups like Growing Friends of Yarra Bend Park or Friends of Merri Creek.

    Engage

    Educate your friends and family on what you learned about the flying foxes and why they’re so important to protect.

    If you notice someone in your neighbourhood using unsafe garden netting or barbed wire on their properties, let them know about the harm they can cause and inform them that there are alternative, wildlife-friendly options.

  • Speak up

    Tell your local MP that you care about and are concerned for the survival of the flying fox colony along the Yarra River — following this summer’s heat events, we’ve created a letter template to the Victorian Environment Minister to make your outreach easier, please find this here.

    Advocate for stronger nature laws — familiarise yourself with helpful resources from the Australian Conservation Foundation and Environmental Justice Australia.

    Support Parks Victoria and community organisations that are acting in the interest of preserving this population in the face of climate change impacts.

    Follow and support the Wilderness Society’s deforestation and biodiversity campaigns.