Sydney Botanical gardens is blessed with a colony of a protected species and cursed with an infestation of flying foxes (fruit bats). The tension between these two views of the same facts is clear and the infestation has now reached the point where it's actually quite offensive.
These two guys are sleeping in bat heaven - a safe tree in the midst of lush and varied foliage that bars fruit of one kind or another year round. The trees are getting seriously damaged by their presence and nothing seems to discourage them.
Valerie Craig (Val Ann), ebuckman18, Im_a_teapot, ernestdaggy, and angie5483 added this photo to their favorites.
View 2 more comments
Sandy Fernee 88 months ago | reply
Poor maligned creatures, they are forced to areas they don't belong by global warming and other human interferance and then we decide we don't like them there either. Melbourne went through the same issues to the detriment of the Fruit Bat. (Standing up for bat rights!)
Im_a_teapot 63 months ago | reply
Nothing will discourage them because there is no where else for them to go webmink. There is no alternative roost site that will provide access to the food sources they eat from.
Sandy is right, we should never accept the noise or other based torture of any animals.
The gardens has refused over the last 15 years to net their trees or grow an alternative roost site. Until they take those kind of steps the damage to the trees will continue.
Wael M. Shohdi 61 months ago | reply
Hi, I'm an admin for a group called Chiroptera (Bats), and we'd love to have this added to the group!
webmink 61 months ago | reply
You'll need to send me the sort of request that comes with an "add" button since I don't want to join the group. Thanks!