More than 80% of Naracoorte flying fox colony wiped out by heatwaves

About 1,000 flying foxes in a Naracoorte camp in South Australia were devastated by intense heat last week, with more than 80% of the colony killed. Around 180 animals survived, including about 34 underweight and dehydrated babies that will face months of recovery.

The deaths followed an earlier January heatwave that saw thousands of flying foxes perish in what has been described as the largest mass mortality event for the animals since 2019–20. Reports from the second, more severe wave were mixed: roughly 100 bats died at Brimbank Park and Wildlife Victoria estimated more than 700 grey-headed flying foxes died at a Tatura camp of 5,000, while a Victorian government update put deaths at monitored camps at about 1,700, nearly 5% of the state’s population.

Volunteers, wildlife vets and parks staff worked to reduce impacts in some locations, using misting, canopy cooling and water trailers; in Adelaide’s Botanic Park sprinklers and volunteers helped limit deaths to a few hundred even as temperatures reached 44.7C.

naracoorte flying fox, intense heat, grey-headed flying foxes, brimbank park, tatura camp, adelaide botanic park, wildlife vets, canopy cooling, water trailers, mass mortality event