Tourists are going batty for flying fox
TOURISTS and locals alike are going batty for a free public talk being held outside the Cairns library.
The regular Bat Chats, operated by wildlife carers, are informal talks and walks that take in the vulnerable spectacled flying fox roost outside the library and nearby area.
They are being held on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights throughout the school holidays.
Australasian Bat Society bat night co-ordinator Maree Treadwell-Kerr said they had been amazed by the popularity of the Bat Chats, with as many as 40 people attracted to each session.
“It’s been doing really well,” she said. “Sometimes we turn up and there are people there waiting for us, already.
“We’re getting tourists, but also a lot of locals.”
Participants learn about how flying foxes are keystone species, making them crucial in dispersing seeds and pollinating plants across the region.
There is also a chance to watch the evening “fly out” as hundreds of bats takeoff through the city’s skies.
Ms Treadwell-Kerr said the society hoped to use the huge amount of public interest in the flying foxes to build on the Cairns Bat Festival this year, which is to be held in April.
Bat Chats start at 6pm each evening at the corner of Aplin and Lake streets, on FridaySunday nights until January 21.