BCB 2010 Batty Calendar – Sold Out!

Our Calendars have been popular and we are pleased to announce that we have sold out !

BCB 2010 Batty Calendar – Available Now!

Great news, our new 2010 Batty Calender is out now! A fantastic gift for yourself, family and friends. Also don’t forget Christmas is upon us, which would make this a fantastic stocking filler for family and friends. For only $12.95 + $6.00p/h (within Australia) you will get 12 months of gorgeous batty photos and facts! Details: Full colour, A3 size, 14 pages (12 months + front and back covers) For more info click here!

Australian Biosecurity CRC: Bats are not the bad guys

Hendra has given bats a bad name…

“We should think of flying foxes as the canary in the coalmine; they are messengers of what we’re doing to our environment. We shouldn’t be shooting the messengers but regarding them as important indicators of the health of our environment.”

Scientists are starting to think that the recent appearance of Hendra virus is a symptom of bats showing stress as a result to changes we’ve made to the environment. “The actual virus is uncommon in flying-foxes and does not appear to cause them any problems. All indications are that Hendra virus spills over from bats to horses and then from horses to humans – there are no known cases of people contracting Hendra virus from flying-foxes ” says › Continue reading

Win Batty Boat Cruise Tickets!

To celebrate the start of the season of our Batty Boat Cruises we have 2 adult tickets to giveaway for our first cruise on the 1st Nov. To enter email brisbane@wildlife.org.au with ‘Win Batty Boat Cruise Tickets’ as the subject, the 30th email received will win the tickets. The winner will be notified by email and published in our next newsletter. Competition closes on the 27 October. Good luck and please forward this on to anyone who may be interested in our cruises and the competition! For more details on the Batty Boat Cruises please visit the WPSQ Batty Boat Cruise page or view the complete Batty Boat Cruise poster

Brisbane City Halloween Bat Watch and Batman Movie Night

Halloween is known as a time for spooky scary stories! Here’s a SCARY story… Of the 3 species of flying-fox found in Brisbane one is in real danger of DISAPEARRING FOREVER! Be a supporter and help them survive! Come out in costume to celebrate Halloween in Brisbane with this iconic creature of the night. Share in the spectacle as hundreds of flying foxes leave their roost at sunset, then get up close and personal to the real thing with Gilbert, the friendly bat ambassador. Learn about Bats, their importance and what colony life is all about with Bat Care Brisbane. Find a roost for your family to enjoy a sausage sizzle and special retro screening of the original 1966 Batman :The Movie. All ages. Click below to view details

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Bats at the Black Swamp this Halloween!

Celebrate Halloween with an evening of fun and fascination at the Black Swamp! Bat Care Brisbane will host a sausage sizzle. Bring the kids along – there will be masks and wings to make and wear and fun activities. Learn about the amazing lifestyles of bats, and watch as they venture out on their nightly feeding foray. Have a close encounter with micro-bats, who are making impressive in-roads in our fight against mozzies. Some carers will bring along a baby or two. Where: The Black Swamp, Haggup Street end, Cleveland When: 4 – 7.30pm, Saturday 31 October Bring: Closed shoes, a chair/blanket, mosquito repellent RSVP: 0488 228 134 or info@bats.org.au by 29 October

Press Release: Hendra media sparks fear and retribution

Bat Care Brisbane (BCB) has received disturbing information that the flying-fox colonies located around Mackay and Rockhampton are being threatened with destruction by people who are fearful about the spread of Hendra virus from bats.

BCB is alarmed at recent media reports about Hendra virus which may lead to people acting irresponsibly causing unnecessary harm to bats. The media throughout Qld could be improved by including some balanced conservation messages.

It is now critical that some factual information about the importance of bats be relayed to the public. This includes: › Continue reading

The Bat Care Brisbane Online Store Is Now Open!

Show your support and educate others about the important ecological role bats play in our environment! Men’s, women’s and baby’s clothing with the ‘No Me No Tree’ slogan are currently available. We also have organic cotton versions as well as an assortment of accessories. Check back regularly as there are more designs coming soon… Click here to visit our new store

Please Report Flying-Fox Electrocutions

The vast majority of bats found electrocuted on powerlines are mothers carrying their babies. Adult victims rarely survive their injuries – 99.9% mortality rate. Please check for baby animals, during the months of October to January. What you can do: – Quickly report electrocutions with: type of wildlife, pole number OR house number, street and suburb – Report animals quickly so other animals are not also drawn to their death – Look for and report any live babies – Support underground electrical cables – Report areas which regularly kill wildlife in overhead wiring More information about bat electrocution can be found by clicking here

Bat Care Brisbane Now On Twitter!

Now you can keep up to date with all the latest Bat Care Brisbane news via Twitter! Visit our page here and start following us today! http://twitter.com/BatCareBrisbane

Input Needed: Recovery Plans for Vulnerable Flying-Foxes

We need public interest in our disappearing flying-foxes!

Eight years since the grey-headed flying-fox was listed nationally as a vulnerable species the draft national recovery plans for the Grey-Headed Flying-fox and the Spectacled Flying-fox have been released by Commonwealth Department of Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts. The draft National Recovery Plans are out now for comment until the 4th of January 2010. The draft plans can be downloaded from these links: Grey-Headed Flying-Fox – Recovery Plan, Spectacled Flying-Fox – Recovery Plan . Hard copies are availabe from the Department’s Community Information Unit, Email: ciu@environment.gov.au Freecall: 1800 803 772
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Another Barbed-Wire Tragedy

Yet another horrific accident has occurred due to the use of barbed-wire and sadly it won’t be the last. Unfortunately this is only one of many barbed-wire fences spanning water ways in the greater Brisbane area.

Of the two Grey-headed Flying-foxes found entangled the one that didn’t survive was heavily pregnant with twins and died agonizingly by drowning.

If you do have barbed-wire fencing that cannot be replaced please make it visible to wildlife at night by using bright tape, flags or CD’s .

Thank you to the lovely locals who helped access the bats, it would have been very difficult otherwise.

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Visit Wildlife Friendly Fencing