‘Starvation event’: Wildlife volunteer sheltering flying foxes

An Ocean Grove wildlife volunteer looking after flying foxes in the Geelong region, says food shortages are leaving the animals starving.

Leila Merritt, an Ocean Grove vet and wildlife volunteer, is helping to look after 40 flying foxes. Picture: Mark Wilson

An Ocean Grove vet nurse and wildlife volunteer who has been caring for malnourished flying foxes says the endangered animals are facing massive food shortages.

Leila Merritt, a wildlife shelter operator, looks after about 40 flying foxes.

Ms Merritt said the animals were facing a “starvation event”.

The event, which began in Queensland in September, has forced flying foxes to migrate to Victoria with little to no food, Ms Merritt said.

Ms Merritt said severe weather events had washed away habitat and food sources, like nectar and flowering gums, meaning the migrating foxes were already malnourished before they made it to Victoria.

Ms Merritt said a lack of resources had caused some female flying foxes to abandon their young. Picture: Mark Wilson

She said lack of food sources had caused some female flying foxes to dump and abandon their babies.

“Because they’re so malnourished and starving, they actually can’t raise their babies as they would naturally- so they’re dumping them,” Ms Merritt said.

“Every day I go to the colony and search for lone pups or pups that are calling that have lost their mum.

“It’s quite an event trying to rescue them, a lot of them are quite high in the tree, and involves a lot of complex specialised equipment to get them down.

Leila Merritt will look after the animals for a month. Picture: Mark Wilson

“Once the babies are down, they come into care with me.”

Ms Merritt will spend about a month looking after the flying foxes them in her shelter, before taking them to an aviary in Melbourne where they are then released back into the wild.

“We are getting a lot of cubs that are dying after abandonment, mainly because we can’t reach them in the tall trees,” she said.

“We are getting a lot killed which is a shame, but if we can’t each them, ravens do.

The flying foxes go through three litres of milk daily. Picture: Mark Wilson

“Also, because of the lack of food shortage around the area, we are seeing a lot more flying foxes go into urban areas such as peoples back gardens to try and feed on fruits.

“As a wildlife operator we don’t get any funding, and we are financially liable for any animals that are in our care.

Each day, the animals will go through about three litres of milk, as well as 10-15kg of fruit per day.

A GoFundMe fundraiser was set up to help Ms Merritt look after the flying foxes.

The page has raised just over $7000 in three days.

Originally published as ‘Starvation event’: Wildlife volunteer sheltering flying foxes