The Flying Fox summit last week attracted 80 people; a measure of both the interest in, and frustrations around, living in close proximity to spectacled flying foxes. Various experts shared their knowledge and experience around management of bats, research findings, their impact on fruit farmers and residents, how to count them, viruses associated with them, etc.

Several case studies were presented, including the one at the Melbourne Botanic Gardens where a colony of 20,000 to 30,000 bats was moved to a nearby patch of eucalypt forest at a cost of $1.7M!! Council's Natural Resources Coordinator, Russell Wild, is a font of wisdom re managing bats which can be very challenging for those residents who have colonies living near them, like some residents of Anderson St. Contact Russell at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or Fiona Dix: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it for more information or advice.