Heatwave kills thousands of flying foxes across south-east Australia

Thousands of flying foxes have died in a heatwave that scorched south‑east Australia last week, in what researchers and wildlife carers say is the largest mass mortality event for the bats since the 2019–20 black summer. Extreme temperatures caused deaths in camps across South Australia, Victoria and New South Wales, with grey‑headed flying foxes — listed as vulnerable under federal environment laws — the most affected.

Tamsyn Hogarth, director of the Fly by Night Bat Clinic in Melbourne, said volunteers found thousands of dead bats at Brimbank Park and hundreds more at Yarra Bend and Tatura, and rescued dozens of pups clinging to dead mothers. Researchers were still tallying the dead, estimating at least 1,000–2,000 flying foxes died in South Australia, thousands in Victoria, and up to 1,000 in New South Wales.

Experts said temperatures above about 42C are known to cause mortality in flying foxes. Last week Adelaide reached 43C on consecutive days and Melbourne and Sydney surpassed 42C, with suburbs and regional areas recording maximums in the mid‑to‑high 40s. Prof Justin Welbergen of Western Sydney University said the heat placed animals under direct stress and made it harder for them to find food, and Dr Wayne Boardman of the University of Adelaide described bats fanning their wings, moving down trees and panting before many died.

Key Topics

World, Grey-headed Flying Foxes, Heatwave, Victoria, New South Wales, South Australia