Baby flying foxes starving in numbers volunteers have never seen
Wildlife rescue volunteers are being overwhelmed by hundreds of flying fox pups born prematurely across NSW, due to a suspected starvation event.
More than 460 reports of malnourished grey-headed flying foxes have been received by wildlife rescue volunteers in New South Wales since late September, potentially due to a mass starvation event before the October birthing season. Experienced wildlife carers have been overwhelmed by the unprecedented rate of premature flying fox births in the state.
The premature pups, weighing less than 40 grams, have a high risk of dying in care, with an estimated 95 percent mortality rate. Ecologists and wildlife carers report never having seen such large numbers of premature babies. The Australian Registry of Wildlife Health confirmed the animals were severely emaciated at the time of death.
The cause of the starvation event remains unknown, though it is believed to be due to temporary shortfalls in available food. Due to limited volunteer resources and long distances between sites, wildlife rescue groups are struggling to confirm the exact number of flying foxes that have died.
Written by urgent.news from ABC News AU's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
