The number of flying-foxes in camps around Sydney and along the east coast rises and falls through the year, and some camps sit close to people's homes. Living alongside one is normally a matter of a few practical adjustments — most of them seasonal, and most of them cheap.
Why there are more camps in Sydney
Flying-foxes are nomadic. They travel to wherever native trees are flowering or fruiting, and the size of any camp reflects what is in blossom nearby rather than anything happening at the camp itself. As flowering moves, so do they.
Urban Sydney has become more attractive to them over time, because gardens, parks and street plantings offer a more reliable year-round food supply than much of the cleared country inland. That is why camps appear in suburbs where there were none before, and why numbers at an established camp can jump when nearby forests flower heavily.
Councils across New South Wales manage flying-fox camps under plans made with state government support, and there is now a substantial body of experience about what helps residents and what does not. See the camps around Sydney →
Noise
Flying-foxes are most vocal at dawn, when they return from a night's foraging, and again when they are feeding in nearby trees. The squabbling sounds like conflict but is part of how they spread seed efficiently — read more about feeding and drinking.
What helps:
- Noise from feeding is temporary — animals stay only while a tree is in fruit or flower, then move on
- Where a camp adjoins housing, insulation and double glazing make a large difference; the NSW Government has funded these through local councils near some camps
- Mating season, roughly February to April, is the noisiest period of the year
Mess
Droppings are most likely where flying-foxes are feeding rather than where they roost. Their digestion is rapid, so they urinate and defecate within about half an hour of starting to feed. Like the noise, it stops when the fruiting and flowering does.
What helps:
- Erect a cover, such as a shade sail, over cars, paths or outdoor seating
- Bring washing in at night while flying-foxes are feeding nearby
- Clean up promptly — fresh droppings hose off easily; hard surfaces such as decking respond to a hose and a stiff brush
Smell
At certain times of year flying-foxes produce an earthy, musky smell. It is strongest during the mating season from February to April, and can also come from mess beneath feeding and roost trees rather than from the animals themselves. It is seasonal and passes.
Fruit trees
Their preferred food is the nectar of native trees, but flying-foxes will visit orchard and backyard fruit trees when other food is scarce. Netting solves this — but only wildlife-safe netting, which protects the fruit without injuring possums, bats, birds and reptiles.
How to net fruit trees and vegetable gardens safely →
Health
Like all animals, including humans, bats can host viruses and parasites. The risk to the public is very low and is well understood.
- Australian bat lyssavirus — transmitted only by a bite or scratch. It cannot be caught from droppings, from living near a camp, or from being flown over.
- Hendra virus — no person has ever contracted Hendra from a flying-fox. The people who have died contracted it from horses, and further cases are avoidable where vets and horse owners follow the recommended hygiene protocols.
Never touch or approach a flying-fox that is alone, hanging close to the ground, or on the ground. Call your local rescue organisation instead. Read more about viruses →
On relocating camps
There are sometimes calls for camps to be "relocated", and attempts have been made to disturb camps in order to move the animals on. No cost-effective or reliable method of relocating a camp has been found. In practice most attempts simply disturb and stress the animals, and they return or settle somewhere equally close by.
Measures that adjust the human environment — netting, screening, insulation, timing — have a far better record than measures that try to move the bats. Read more about relocation →
Who to contact
- An injured, grounded or entangled bat — wildlife rescue contacts
- Questions about a camp near you — your local council, which manages camps in its area
- Anything else — get in touch with KBCS