Thousands of breeding flying foxes stopping planes from landing

March 20, 2025 8:01 AM

Thousands of breeding flying foxes stopping planes from landing. Next to Rockhampton Airport is a large botanical garden filled with thousands of flying foxes, and when the sun sets these creatures come alive and cause headaches for incoming flights.
posted by chariot pulled by cassowaries (5 comments total)

For some additional context, I liked this related story from 2022: Efforts ramp up to move bat colony with wacky, wavy, inflatable tube figures.

What a tangle. I love flying foxes and botanic gardens and flight safety is obviously very important. I'm rather a fan of Professor Robson, based on his pullquotes from these articles.
posted by EvaDestruction at 8:22 AM on March 20 [1 favorite]

The flights cause way more headaches for the poor flying foxes!
posted by tiny frying pan at 8:57 AM on March 20 [2 favorites]

ok these are called fruit bats outside of Australia, just in case anyone (read: me) is confused as to why these foxes look like bats
posted by numaner at 10:37 AM on March 20 [2 favorites]

The sight of hundreds of them in trees at Sydney's Royal Botanic Gardens is an indelible memory from my first trip to Australia. More than anything else during my stay, it made me think, "I'm a long way from home".
posted by reedbird_hill at 1:58 PM on March 20 [1 favorite]

"Bird and bat strikes can be potentially catastrophic for aircraft because of the damage they can cause."

I'd like to point out (if only Eponymously) than it is also catastrophic for the bat.
posted by flyingfox at 8:33 PM on March 21