AN UNPRECEDENTED number of grey-headed flying foxes have set up camp at Wolli Creek, with environmentalists blaming the Royal Botanic Gardens' relocation campaign for the huge spike in numbers.
Wolli Creek Preservation Society flying fox co-ordinator Deb Little said last Wednesday's bat count spotted 20,570 animals, the most ever recorded for the area.
This time last year just 1330 bats were recorded by the bat counting volunteers.
"It would be hard not to see a connection between the continued noise blasting each morning at the gardens and the higher numbers now at Wolli, particularly this time of year," Ms Little said.
She said the trees between Wolli Creek and the railway line were "pretty densely packed" with bats.
The Royal Botanic Gardens relocation, which involves blasting the bats with industrial noise before dawn, has been conducted since June, and the Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust's wildlife management officer, John Martin, says very few bats have roosted at the gardens since.
The Botanic Gardens sought special permission to try to relocate the bats, claiming they were destroying many important trees.
Mr Martin said the bats had moved to neighbouring colonies in Sydney, as well as down the south coast and even to Queensland.
A count by the Royal Botanic Gardens at Wolli Creek a fortnight ago found about 8600 bats, but things have got a lot cosier since then, with the numbers more than doubling in less than a week.
Also increasing are the number of flying foxes found dead on electrical wires, many of them mothers with young pups, which in most cases survive.
WIRES eastern suburbs flying fox co-ordinator Storm Stanford said this year was shaping up to be the worst on record.
"Usually we associate flying into power lines with tired or starving animals, but the animals found this year are of quite good body weight. It is possible the gardens relocation scheme is having an impact, but I can't say it is definitely that which is causing so many deaths — I just don't know why," Ms Stanford said.
Whatever the reason, Ms Stanford and other bat carers have an excess of baby bats on their hands. On Sunday, Ms Standford shipped 20 young animals she was rearing to carers to make room for more.
She said about five pups were being brought into care every day.
"It is pretty hideous," she said. "It is sad to see so much unnecessary death."
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