Melbourne’s Great Flying Fox Relocation - Part 1

In 2003, the colony of 30,000 grey-headed flying foxes roosting in Melbourne’s Royal Botanic Gardens faced an uncertain future. Their presence had become unsustainable, and all efforts to move them on had failed. Conflict was brewing and time was running out. But then, hundreds of volunteers executed an audacious but brilliantly simple plan to scare the bats out of the gardens. Night after night they made a terrible racket by all means possible, until the flying foxes, fed up with the din, eventually moved on. The volunteers then spent many more months scaring them out of other inappropriate locations until the colony finally settled at Yarra Bend, their peaceful home now of almost 20 years. The successful relocation of these wonderful native creatures is a testament to the determination and commitment of these volunteers. Flying foxes are an integral but often misunderstood part of Melbourne’s fauna, responsible for pollinating native plants and dispersing seeds to promote regeneration. Without them, our entire ecosystem suffers. This wonderful story deserves to be told visually. Digitally enhanced paintings output on 310gsm Smooth Cotton Rag paper.