More than 2,000 flying foxes die from heat stress in eastern Victoria

Heat stress has killed almost a third of an eastern Victorian town's native flying fox population, after extreme weather on Friday.

One of the dead grey-headed flying foxes which
perished in the extreme heat last week.

Victoria's Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP) declared a natural emergency on Friday after officers found dead grey-headed flying foxes near Bairnsdale.

On Friday temperatures soared to almost 46 degrees Celsius in East Gippsland, about 300 kilometres east of Melbourne, accompanied by strong winds.

The department temporarily closed the Mitchell River walking track near nesting areas of the animals at Bairnsdale, to try to protect the flying foxes.

Read the story from The Age by Emma Field and Beth Gibson - “More than 2,000 flying foxes die from heat stress in eastern Victoria.”