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Flying-foxes

Flying-foxes are intelligent, social animals that live in large colonies comprised of individuals and family groups. They are critical in ensuring ecosystem health and the long-term survival of our Eucalypt forests. Flying-foxes are also a threatened species under NSW and Commonwealth legislation.

There are six known flying-fox camps in Eurobodalla, which are occupied during most years. Camps are the home for flying-foxes during the day and the animals forage at night often travelling long distances for food.

Council is managing flying-foxes in line with the Eurobodalla Flying-Fox Management Plan 2018, which takes resident impacts and flying-fox welfare into account. This may also include carrying out approved dispersal activities in extreme circumstances where the impacts on residents are very high on Council-managed lands.

For population monitoring and the history of known camps, please visit our population monitoring page.

Latest news: March 2024

The Water Gardens camp has a population of around 2,500 flying-foxes. There are 550 flying-foxes in bushland at Moruya Riverside Park, and 400 at the Tuross camp. There are no flying-foxes at the other camp sites in the Eurobodalla.

Find out about

Tell us if you have seen new flying-fox roosts

To help us monitor flying-foxes across Eurobodalla Shire, if you see flying-foxes camping in new areas, please:

If you see a dead flying-fox on power lines report it to Essential Energy by phoning 13 20 80.

What is Council doing about flying foxes?

Flying-fox management actions being performed by Eurobodalla Shire Council include:

  • developed a shire-wide Eurobodalla Flying-fox Management Plan
  • ongoing employment of a dedicated Natural Resources Officer - flying-foxes to facilitate flying-fox management and engagement with the community
  • providing relief to residents through subsidised services when conditions require
  • undertaking flying-fox dispersal (where necessary and in accordance with approval conditions)
  • participating in flying-fox monitoring and research
  • maintaining buffer zones on Council land
  • ongoing restoration of the Batemans Bay Water Gardens with planting of native species and weed control
  • collaborating with other councils, agencies, land managers and community groups
  • implementing a communication strategy based on community feedback
  • community education for students and adults to learn about flying-foxes and other bats.

Pressure washers for free hire

Council provides access to high pressure washers that can be borrowed from Council's Batemans Bay Depot to clean hard surfaces, cars and homes. Further assistance may be considered by Council if residents are impacted by excessive numbers of flying-foxes.

  • To arrange to borrow the washers, please phone our Batemans Bay Depot on 4472 4035.

Tree removal

Cocos palms, which attract foraging flying-foxes, can be removed from private property without the need for Council approval.

Under the Tree Preservation Code, native plants such as Lilli pilli, gum trees and Banksias cannot be removed without Council approval. Council will not allow the removal of native trees unless they pose a significant risk to people or infrastructure (such as falling limbs).

Council and WIRES volunteers offer educational programs for school children and parents on flying–foxes and other bats that live and visit Eurobodalla Shire. Students and parents learn about the role that bats have in the environment, health concerns, threats to their long-term survival and where they live.

  • Teachers who would like to arrange a session, please phone Council's Natural Resource Management Officer (Flying-Foxes) on 4474 7329.
  • You can also read about other environmental school education programs that are available.

Watch

You can learn about grey-headed flying-foxes in Eurobodalla by watching this short film.

Grey-headed flying-foxes, also called fruit bats, have always had camps in Eurobodalla Shire. Population numbers vary with seasonal migration. Regardless of where their day-time camp is, any flying-foxes in the region are likely to forage around residential areas at night wherever there are food sources.

The CSIRO has developed a methodology to measure national flying-fox populations:

After the massive influx of flying-foxes in 2016, the Department of Planning and Environment (now named Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure) regularly monitored the camp areas at Batemans Bay up until dispersal activities finished at the end of July 2016. Now Council monitors camp areas while flying-foxes are present in the six known camps.

Monitoring involves Council officers assessing the population, camp footprint, distance to nearby residents, presence of dependent young, and overall health of the flying-foxes. We also monitor the community's concerns and offer advice and assistance where we can.

Council provides regular reports to the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure, which add to the growing body of information that helps us to understand the behaviour and movements of the grey-headed flying-foxes in Australia.

More information

Contact us

To find out more about flying-foxes, contact:

  • Council's Natural Resource Management Officer (Flying-Foxes):
  • Lorraine Oliver, Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water:
    • T: 02 6229 7120