Hundreds of fruit bat, flying fox injuries prompt Olinda bat clinic to urge growers to use better nets on trees

HUNDREDS of bats are coming a cropper after tangling with fruit tree nets in Melbourne’s back yards but animal rescuers say there is an easy fix.

Increasing numbers of fruit bats being entangled in tree nets have prompted calls for people to user safer mesh.

FRUIT bats are increasingly being entangled and injured by tree nets, prompting calls for people to use the right mesh on backyard harvests.

Avondale Heights woman Bree Taylor, a rescuer with Fly by Night Bat Clinic, said fruit bats were foraging for food in ­residential areas due to the scarce amount of sources available, in particular a lack of flowering gums.

But the hunt for food has led to a growing number of call-outs for bats entangled in nets that are designed to protect fruit.

More than 500 cases have been reported in the past 12 months in what has been the worst year yet.

A bat caught in a tree at a home in Avondale Heights. Picture: Supplied.

Ms Taylor said if the ­netting was big enough to put a finger through, it was generally unsafe.

“I’ve gone to a few (rescues) where people are crying because they’re just so upset,” Ms Taylor said.

“It’s important to let people know. It stops the animals suffering, and the humans.

“They are a threatened species and we need ­them because they pollinate everything.”

How to know which tree nets are safe for wildlife.

Ms Taylor said one of the worst cases she had seen was a distressed bat that had twisted its ankle after getting caught in netting, frantically flapping its wings to escape.

She urged people to phone a wildlife rescuer instead of trying to cut trapped bats out of nets.

“They’re really scared. Like anything that’s really scared, they’ll get aggressive,” Ms Taylor said.

“No one should ever touch the bat.”

Some hardware stores such as Bunnings have updated their netting range to ensure they only sell non-hazardous nets.

Anyone who comes across a trapped bat should phone Wildlife Victoria on 1300 094 535 or Fly by Night Bat Clinic on 0409 530 541.