FAQs

Social and at times very noisy, flying-foxes have over 30 distinct calls they use to defend their territory, find their young and attract mating partners.

• They tend to make the most noise at dawn and dusk, when flying out to feed at night or returning to camp trees to sleep during the day.
• They continue being noisy as they fly around trying to find a roost.
• Noise increases dramatically when animals are disturbed.
• During the day, flying-foxes are generally quiet as they are nocturnal animals.
• However, during the day they can fight and bicker like children over a favoured spot, usually trying to find one as close as possible to water. Unfortunately, this is a daily event while the camp is active.

When flying-foxes are stressed or frightened they make a lot more noise.

• Colonies tend to be noisiest when they are disturbed by people and least noisy when left alone.
• If you plan on making some noise near a camp, such as mowing the lawn, you can expect the flying-foxes to get rowdy for a while.
• Try to be considerate if you are visiting an area with a flying-fox camp - do not disturb the animals and help keep noise to a minimum.

Humans have different sensitivities to smells. Not all people will find the smell of a flying fox camp difficult to live with. This may explain why you sometimes find it difficult to get others to understand how much impact the odour has on their daily life.

The main odour associated with flying foxes is the scent male flying foxes use to mark their territory and is strongest at the camp. It's not associated with the faeces dropped during flight or around the camp. The most important thing to note is that the odour is not a risk to human health.

Human infections from viruses borne by flying foxes are very rare.

There are no confirmed cases of anyone ever getting sick by touching flying-fox faeces, urine or blood, but of course you should still wash your hands after touching anything like that.

Importantly:

• Do not attempt to touch or handle live or dead flying-foxes.
• Only trained, vaccinated bat handlers should attempt to catch injured or sick bats.
• If you encounter a sick, injured or dead bat, contact the experts at WIRES on 1300 094 737.
• If you have been bitten or scratched by a bat, gently, but thoroughly, wash the wound immediately with soap and water for at least five minutes and consult a doctor as soon as possible.

In some communities there has been concerns regarding flying-foxes exacerbating poor health conditions for people with compromised immune systems or chronic respiratory problems. This has not been reported in relation to other flying-fox camps, and Southern NSW Local Health District advises that there has not been an increase in respiratory-related admissions. However, if you are experiencing any medical concerns, it is recommended that you visit your doctor.

Heat stress affects flying-foxes when temperatures reach 42°C or more.

• When ambient temperatures rise above 35°C, flying-foxes tend to alter their behaviour to reduce exposure to heat.
• This may include clustering or clumping, panting, licking wrists and wing membranes, and descending to lower levels of vegetation or to the ground.
• Over the past two decades, tens of thousands of flying foxes have died during extreme heat events including approximately 600 in Campbelltown during January 2018.