INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Image copyrightDAVID WHITEImage caption
Many spectacled flying foxes were found dead around Cairns, a city in
Queensland
Over two days in November, record-breaking heat in Australia's north wiped out almost one-third of the nation's
spectacled flying foxes, according to researchers.The animals, also known as spectacled fruit bats, were unable to survive in temperatures
In the city of Cairns, locals saw bats toppling from trees into backyards, swimming pools and other locations.Wildlife rescuers found
surviving animals clumped together, usually on branches closer to the ground."It was totally depressing," one rescuer, David White, told the
TheIndianSubcontinent.'Biblical scale' Last week, researchers from Western Sydney University finalised their conclusion that about 23,000
spectacled flying foxes died in the event on 26 and 27 November.That tally was reached through counting by wildlife volunteers who visited
seven flying fox camps following the heatwave.Image copyrightDAVID WHITEImage caption
A young bat rescued by volunteers
during the heatwave
Lead researcher Dr Justin Welbergen, an ecologist, believes the "biblical scale" of deaths could be even
higher - as many as 30,000 - because some settlements had not been counted.Australia had only an estimated 75,000 spectacled flying foxes
before November, according to government-backed statistics."This sort of event has not happened in Australia this far north since human
settlement," says Dr Welbergen, who is also the president of the Australasian Bat Society, a not-for-profit conservation group.The
spectacled flying fox - so named for light-coloured fur around its eyes - can also be found in Papua New Guinea, Indonesia and the Solomon
Islands.In Australia, the species is only found in a small rainforest region of northern Queensland, where it helps to pollinate native
trees.Image copyrightDAVID WHITEImage caption
Temperatures higher than 42C can kill flying foxes, scientists say
Dr Welbergen says about 10,000 bats of another species - black flying foxes - succumbed to the heat during the same two-day
period.Flying foxes often experience fatal heat stress when temperatures eclipse 42C, scientists say
During November's heatwave, Cairns recorded its highest-ever temperature of 42.6C.'Canary in the mine'Flying foxes are no more sensitive
to extreme heat than some other species, experts say.But because they often gather in urban areas in large numbers, their deaths can be more
conspicuous, and easily documented."It raises concerns as to the fate of other creatures who have more secretive, secluded lifestyles," Dr
Welbergen says.He sees the bats as the "the canary in the coal mine for climate change"."It is clear from the present data that these [heat]
events are having a very serious impact on the species," Dr Welbergen says
"And it's clear from climate change projections that this is set to escalate in the future."Battle for protectionExperts have long been
concerned about the survival of spectacled flying foxes.Its population has more than halved in the past decade, says Dr David Westcott, who
chairs the government's National Flying Fox Monitoring Programme.Image:Residents of Charters Towers in Queensland are being overwhelmed by
batsIn the past, mass deaths in the population were often associated with cyclones
But in recent years heatwaves have become a bigger risk, Dr Westcott says
It's been a massive population decline for a species that isn't under a great deal of pressure outside of these weather events," he tells
the TheIndianSubcontinent.Even prior to November's heatwave, conservationists were lobbying the Australian government to upgrade its
classification of the species from "vulnerable" to "endangered" - a move which would strengthen efforts to help it.Globally, the species is
listed as of "least concern" on the International Union for Conservation of Nature's Red List.Some experts worry that public antipathy to
bats may hinder conservation efforts
This is usually related to fears about contracting diseases from bats, and their noise in urban areas.This week, amid a heatwave in New
South Wales, authorities warned people against approaching bats due to reports of aggression."They're seen as these rats in the sky, so any
preservation effort is hard going," Dr Westcott says."You can bet there were some people glad to see so many bats go down in the heatwave."
