Whilst it’s been a slow start to summer, the issue of rising heat in western Sydney is important as ever, as wildlife experts look for ways to reduce its impact on animals.
Recently new sprinklers have been fitted to the trees of Parramatta Park’s flying fox colony as part of a trial to see if it can cool them down when summer temperatures soar.
Using a $30,000 grant from the Saving our Species fund, the new system includes weather monitors to capture temperature and humidity data within the camp.
The NSW Government estimates 72,000 flying-foxes were killed in extreme heat events across 40 camps in NSW in 2019/20, caused by drought and days of extreme temperatures, including in the Parramatta Park camp.
Greater Sydney Parklands Chief Executive Suellen Fitzgerald said it was an important initiative to prevent deaths when temperatures rise once again.
“Up to 10,000 flying foxes call Parramatta Park home and we’re trialing sprinklers to keep them cool throughout the hot summer months,” she said.
She pointed out the important role that flying foxes play in the environment.
“Flying foxes are pollinators that help keep our forests healthy, and they’re playing an important recovery role for many areas affected by the Black Summer bushfires,” she said.
The sprinklers were designed to mimic Sydney’s summer rainstorms and pump water from Parramatta River up the trees to cool down the canopy.
WIRES volunteers will decide whether to activate the sprinklers via an app once temperatures reach 42 degrees.
Ms Fitzgerald said the new sprinklers benefit the flying-foxes and show that Greater Sydney Parklands is listening to the local community in tackling the problem.
“This could not have been done without the advocacy of our local community and wildlife carers, who brought this to our attention and recommended trialing sprinklers as a tool to cool down the camp,” she said.
“Our parks are crucial for our native wildlife to survive the impacts of a changing climate.
“We’re planning with this in mind across all our parks, with the flying-foxes in Parramatta and Centennial Park, and the native bird species at Fernhill Estate.”
The Parramatta Park camp is one of 15 nationally recognised grey-headed flying fox camps in Sydney.
Flying foxes are considered a keystone species with many Australian native trees depending on them for long distance pollination and seed dispersal.
Troy Dodds is Parra News' Managing Editor and Breaking News Reporter. He has more than 20 years experience as a journalist, working with some of Australia’s leading media organisations. In 2023, he was named Editor of the Year at the Mumbrella Publish Awards.