Little red flying fox  (Pteropus scapulatus)

Like other Australian flying foxes, the little red flying fox is vulnerable to loss of suitable feeding and roosting sites due to clearance of native vegetation by forestry operations and for agriculture and urban development (10). In many states across Australia, flying foxes are considered orchard pests and in the past have been subjected to large-scale hunting and poisoning by farmers (3). An additional threat claiming the lives of hundreds of little red flying foxes and other wildlife is ensnaring on barbed wire fences, which are almost institutionalised in beef and dairy farming. At sunrise, returning bats often fly low to the ground to reduce wind resistance and many do not see the barbed wire fences until it is too late. The barbs puncture the delicate membrane of the bats' wings, and the frantic victims' struggles only cause further entanglement, while attempts to chew the wire to free themselves often mean the animal gets caught further by its mouth. The wings become torn, the fine wing bones smashed and, frequently, the upper palate is punctured or completely fractured. Unless rescued by humans, death is swift, and at least 40% of those recovered in time are too badly damaged to be released back into the wild (7).

Since most of the bats are snared on the top strand of the barbed wire fence, it has been advocated that the top strand should be replaced with smooth, galvanised wire as an obvious solution to the problem (7). Fortunately, the little red flying fox remains common in Australia, where it is legally protected, and is not considered endangered (3).