Flying-foxes and fruit tree netting
Monday, May 22, 2023
At this time of year WIRES is called to help scores of flying foxes entangled in fruit netting.
The cause is the use of poorly erected and inappropriate netting - the cheap, black, monofilament netting available widely from hardware stores. See our factsheet on how to erect netting that is safer for wildlife.
Flying foxes, bird and reptiles cannot see this fine netting. If they get caught they panic and become more and more entangled. But there is no reason people can't have fruit trees and protect our unique flying foxes and other wildlife. There are wildlife friendly ways to protect your garden fruit.
Netting needs to be checked daily for trapped wildlife but if you find an entangled flying fox do not try to remove it yourself. Call WIRES on 1300 094 737 or your local wildlife rescue group.
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