Thousands of flying foxes killed in Cairns’ heatwave feature in new David Attenborough doco

Thousands of flying foxes that died in the Far North’s heatwave have been highlighted in a new Sir David Attenborough documentary, as being a symptom of climate change.

Screenshot of BBC documentary Climate Change — The Facts, featuring two flying foxes that have succumbed to heat stress in Cairns, during extreme heatwave in November.

• Dead bats commemorated at vigil
• Bats succumbing to heatwave
• Pool noodles to help disperse bats
• Bat plan doomed to fail

THOUSANDS of flying foxes that died in the Far North’s heatwave have been highlighted in a new documentary by Sir David Attenborough as being a symptom of climate change.

The BBC’s new program, Climate Change — The Facts, which screened in the UK three weeks ago, features a segment about the estimated 23,000 spectacled flying foxes that succumbed to heat stress across the region in November/December last year .

A crew from the British broadcaster travelled to Cairns earlier this year to interview locals about the aftermath of the mass bat deaths.

Last week the Cairns and Far North Environment Centre has held a Flying Fox Vigil at the Cairns City Library, to honour the thousands of bats that died during a heatwave in Far North Queensland in November 2018. PICTURE: BRENDAN RADKE

The documentary, narrated by Sir David, says rising global temperatures in recent decades are having a substantial effect on native wildlife.

“Last year, in Cairns, Australia, when temperatures hit 42C, even creatures specifically adapted to heat were unable to survive,” the legendary natural historian says.

The segment featured local wildlife carers collecting bat bodies in the rainforest, checking for survivors.

Some of the hundreds of dead bats killed in Edmonton late last year during an extreme heatwave.

“Like all species, flying foxes have ways of dealing with the conditions of their environment,” Sir David said.

“But it seems their usual cooling methods are no longer enough for the kinds of temperatures Australia is now facing.

“Last year, temperature records were broken across the country.”

Bats and Trees Society of Cairns president Maree Treadwell-Kerr hoped the documentary would highlight the plight of flying foxes across the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area and the need for stronger conservation measures.

“We need foraging habitat retained, and we also need to increase habitat for the flying foxes” she said.

Originally published as Thousands of flying foxes killed in Cairns’ heatwave feature in new David Attenborough doco