With such abundant and wide spread native flowering occurring it's easy to forget the dangers to flying-foxes of large aperture netting thrown over fruit trees. Fortunately this spring, abundant flowering has led to a light rescue load but the message is still very important. Never use any anti bird netting you can poke a finger through as it is extremely dangerous to all wildlife but especially to hungry flying-foxes that become hopelessly entangled in it. Instead, use shade cloth type netting

As Spring approaches, flying-fox carers across Australia start gearing up for another busy season. Life is full of hazards for our bats and each year thousands of flying-foxes are orphaned and are hand raised by volunteers. Backyard fruit tree netting, barbed wire fences, dog and cat attacks, car hits, electrocution on power lines, heat and starvation events, dispersals, shooting and natural attrition all take their toll on vulnerable flying-fox populations. It's all hands on deck during the Sum

As much as I try to not think about the horrors of netting season, the reality is that we are poised for another round of large aperture netting entrapment starting in spring. Any netting you can poke a finger through is extremely dangerous to all wildlife but especially to heavily pregnant flying-fox mums just like this little lady who was caught in netting simply because she was foraging for food. Hats off to the tenacious advocates and the state of Victoria as they have banned the use of larg