Thousands Of Flying Foxes Died In Southeastern Australian Heatwave; Worst Dieoff Since Black Summer Of 2019-20

Thousands of flying foxes have perished in the heatwave that scorched south-east Australia last week, the largest mass mortality event for flying foxes since black summer. Extreme temperatures resulted in deaths in camps across South Australia, Victoria and New South Wales. Grey-headed flying foxes, listed as vulnerable under federal environment laws, were the most affected.

The director of the Fly by Night Bat Clinic in Melbourne, Tamsyn Hogarth, said volunteers witnessed thousands of dead bats at Brimbank park, and hundreds more at camps in Yarra Bend and Tatura.

Wildlife volunteers did what they could to help, she said, rescuing dozens of pups found clinging to dead mothers. “These orphans will slowly die of heat stress, starvation or predation if they aren’t found. “We also found countless adults who couldn’t withstand the heat in areas of the colonies that were hotter - like trees with less foliage and shade coverage, and the baking hot clay of the riverbank.”

Despite the best efforts of dedicated volunteers, thousands died in the heat. Researchers were still tallying the dead, estimating at least 1,000 - 2,000 flying foxes died in South Australia, thousands in Victoria, and up to 1,000 in New South Wales. “Temperatures over 42 degrees are known to cause mortality in flying foxes, sometimes at biblical scales,” said Prof Justin Welbergen, an expert in flying foxes at Western Sydney University.

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https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/jan/12/flying-foxes-die-in-their-thousands-in-worst-mass-mortality-event-since-australias-black-summer