Straddie is home to two known fly-ing fox “camps” – one in Dun-wich, the other in Point Lookout.Some of us are direct neighboursof these camps, and many of us

pass by them daily. The Straddie camps host all three species

of flying fox that can be found in SoutheastQueensland: Black, Grey-headed and LittleRed Flying Foxes. All are protected understate legislation.

The Grey-headed Flying Fox is offeredfurther protection under both Queenslandand Commonwealth law. Due to habitat lossand declining numbers it is recognised asbeing “vulnerable” to extinction. So far thisyear, both the Point Lookout and Dunwichcamps have harboured good numbers ofthis threatened species.

A nocturnal mammal, flying foxes roostin camps during the day and feed at night.Many of us are familiar with the sight of a“fly out” just after sunset when the bats leavethe camp and head out to forage.

Viewed against a brilliant orange sky, thesight of a fly out is quite spectacular.

Flying foxes feed mainly on native blos-soms and native fruits. They navigate bysight and locate food by smell. Just like beesand birds, they transfer pollen from tree totree and disperse native seeds across thelandscape as they move between trees.

Unlike bees, and most birds, they cantravel large distances (up to 50 kilometres anight), while their large bodies transportlarger loads of pollen than other pollina-tors. Interestingly, studies have found thateucalypts produce more nectar at night soas to benefit from flying fox pollinators.

Because of this flying foxes are widelyrecognised as playing a hugely importantrole in pollinating and maintaining ournative bushland. It is estimated that withoutflying foxes Australia could lose up to 25 percent of rainforest trees and 50 per cent ofkoala food trees.

At dawn, flying foxes return to theircamps. They don’t always return to the samecamp, rather, they tend to move betweencamps across the region. Numbers in campsswell when nearby food resources are richand diminish at other times.

This is certainly true of the Straddiecamps. This year you may have noticed thatwhen the paperbarks started flowering boththe Dunwich and Point Lookout campsbecame crowded.

Flying foxes roost in groups for safety andto perform social interactions such as breed-ing and raising young – a bit like humans intowns and cities. And, like humans, theycarry diseases, two of which have captured alot of media attention.

HENDRA VIRUSHendra virus was first identified in the Brisbane suburb of Hendra in 1994 and isgenerally transmitted between flying foxesand horses. It is thought that flying foxes arethe natural host of Hendra virus andapproximately 30 per cent of the Australianflying fox population carries it. How the virus is passed onto horses is yet to beidentified. Humans can contract the virusafter coming into contact with the bodily flu-ids of an infected horse. There have also beentwo cases where a dog contracted the disease,most likely from an infected horse. To date,

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seven people have been infected by the virusand four of those have died. Approximately80 horses have died as a result of HendraVirus. A vaccine has been developed to pre-vent horses contracting the disease.

The Queensland Department of Agricul-ture, Fisheries and Forestry website providesgood information about Hendra Virus.(www.daff.qld.gov.au)

LYSSAVIRUSLyssavirus is a form of rabies. In Australia,three humans are known to have died fromthe disease after being bitten or scratchedby an infected flying fox or microbat. It isgenerally understood that less than one percent of the Australian flying fox populationcarries Lyssavirus. Humans can becomeinfected if they come into direct contactwith an infected bat’s saliva or mucus mem-brane (eye, mouth etc.). Even a very minorscratch can transmit the disease. Urine andfaeces are not known to spread the virus.The rabies vaccine prevents Lyssavirus and ifadministered early, can treat the disease inhumans. If untreated, Lyssavirus is fatal.

However, bats do not usually approachhumans and there is no known risk of con-tracting Lyssavirus from bats flying overhead

nor is there believed to be a significant riskof exposure from living, playing or walkingnear bat roosting areas.

People are usually bitten or scratchedwhen trying to rescue an injured, sick or dis-tressed bat, so it is vital that you never, underany circumstances, touch or handle a flyingfox or bat of any description. Teach yourchildren this.

If you see an injured flying fox or bat,contact Stradbroke Wildlife Rescue (0407766 052) or the RSPCA (1300-ANIMAL) toarrange for its rescue. If you are bitten orscratched by a flying fox gently wash thewound with soap and water for at least fiveminutes, apply antiseptic and seek immedi-ate medical attention.

If you have a fruit tree that gets raided byflying foxes, net your trees or bag individualfruit. Note that any netting with holes largeenough to put your finger through has thepotential to entangle flying foxes (and birds)causing them to die a slow and horribledeath. It will also destroy your net and putyou at risk of handling a flying fox. There arewildlife friendly nets on the market.

When many flying foxes are roosting in acamp, noise and smell can be an issue. Takeheart – flying fox numbers in the Straddie

camps fluctuate considerably throughoutthe year, and when camp populationsdecline, so does the noise and smell.

Secretions from scent glands cause thesmell, not faeces. Flying foxes invert them-selves to defecate, groom frequently and arein fact very clean animals.

Flying foxes are a fascinating and ecolog-ically vital native animal: next time you driveor walk through Straddie’s bushland areas,remember that these forests – which give usso much pleasure, clean our air and providea home to many other animals – are main-tained by flying foxes.

The diseases carried by flying foxes arescary indeed. However, cases where humanshave contracted these diseases are few andcan be avoided through awareness and com-mon sense.

In order to live peacefully alongside ourStraddie flying foxes, we need to beinformed and mindful of them.

Shelley Trevaskis is one of a group ofvolunteers who meet every month to conductan assessment and count of flying foxes in theStraddie camps, as part of a statewide surveycoordinated by the Queensland Department ofEnvironment and Heritage Protection.

love Recent human and animal deaths resulting fromflying fox borne diseases have captured the public’sattention – yet flying foxes carry out an importantrole that helps ensure the health of our environment,writes ecologist SHELLEY TREVASKIS.

If you would like to participate in the monthlyflying fox count on Straddie please call Shelley Trevaskis on 0400 159 188.

thy neighbour

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PHOTOS: LEE K. CURTIS