INCREASING numbers of flying foxes, who play a vital role in pollination and seed dispensing, are being caught in tree nettings in the Hills area, forcing animal rescue organisation, Wildlife Information, Rescue and Education Service (WIRES), to urge residents to switch to wildlife-safe netting.
The situation is become dire because the pollination work the flying foxes do is very important to ensuring plant growth and preserving the eco system,
Salina Giovenco-Ellem knows first hand how these tree nettings is harming the flying foxes and preventing them from doing their work.
Flying foxes recover after being rescued. Picture: AAP Image/Angelo Velardo
A volunteer with NSW WIRES, Ms Ellem said she sometimes rescues up to five flying foxes a day from tree netting with residents calling the organisation for help.
“The flying foxes get caught to the netting when they come to get food from the gardens,” the Quakers Hill local and veterinary nurse said.
“They get caught due to the incorrect netting used in many gardens, because these are not wildlife-safe netting.
“The flying foxes get entangled and cannot get out and could be attacked by birds and sometimes dogs.
WIRES volunteer Salina Giovenco-Ellen holds Julia.
“It’s quite bad and on busy days we can free between four and five flying foxes.
“Flying foxes are highly intelligent and are afraid of us but if you maintain eye contact with them, you can calm them down before their rescue.
“We try to get to the homes and free them as quickly as possible.
“They are only night distance pollinators, eating nectar and cross pollinating.”
Ms Ellem said animals have been a big part of her life and helps run a cattery in Annangrove.
She and Deborah Martin, spokeswoman for the WIRES North West, want residents to be aware of the wrong netting being used to cover their fruit trees.
“It’s all about educating the public about using the proper netting,’ Ms Ellem said.
“I am little bit obsessed with these flying foxes because the more I see them I like them better.
“I look at their faces and see their trust, this alone makes it so worthwhile.”
According to WIRES, the usual bird netting has a mesh size more than 1cm square while wildlife friendly netting should have a mesh size of less than 5mm.
Choose netting that you cannot poke your finger through, said WIRES, which prefers the white netting.
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