31/01/2026
I had the hot pleasure of joining Sam Yabsley and Sienna in Cowra this week to help collect observational data for her PhD on heat stress in flying-foxes which she is doing at The University of Western Sydney.
These incredible mammals showed off their exceptional thermoregulatory adaptations to get them through an entire week of extreme hot and dry Australian conditions. Although we witnessed death and had to provide first aid to a handful of pups that required stabilisation in the field (we are also trained and vaccinated WIRES carers), overall mortality and morbidity was low and confined to juveniles who are most susceptible at this time of year. The overall camp managed very well (while we were there).
Although these adaptations are effective, they are exhausting and cost a lot of energy and fluid. Bats are at risk of illness and death, not just individuals but entire camps with tens of thousands can be wiped out when temperatures exceed 42 degrees C / 111.2 F (although it is not that simple).
With increasing pressure of climate change, habitat destruction and camp disturbance, flying-foxes are often left in less suitable habitat and are at increasing and ongoing risk from these conditions.
I have been involved in flying-fox heat stress since 2013 in some way, each year since, and continue to find them incredibly complex and difficult situations to navigate. That is why the work of people like Sam and Dr Justin Welbergen is so vital in allowing us to better understand the best balance of interventions that actually minimise harm without causing a net disturbance. We need government funded stakeholder collaboration to develop prevention and response frameworks guided by high quality research, if we are to improve our efforts.
This was also the first time I have been able to get back in to the field during the heat, since I am no longer a human incubator or human cow 🐄 and I can safely report watching bats Belly Dipping at the end of a hot day is just as spectacular and rewarding as the fist time I ever saw it.
I also got the opportunity to meet some new bat folk from Wildcare and who were a pleasure to collaborate with.
