A young boy’s smoothie stand fundraiser is helping to protect Adelaide’s threatened grey-headed flying foxes. Find out what inspired young Amos to help.
Eight-year-old Amos from Salisbury Park loves the grey-headed flying foxes in Adelaide Botanic Park and he wanted to do something to help this threatened species.
Amos said that he loves it when they take off and fly over his house and street at night.
So he decided to set up and run a fruit smoothie stall to raise funds for Fauna Rescue, which runs a 24-hour bat rescue hotline along with workshops on how to safely handle bats and how to hand-rear orphaned flying-foxes.
Front lawn fundraiser details
Amos researched flying-foxes with his mum Liesl and created a flyer, which he letter box dropped along his street.
Then on a winter afternoon in August 2021 he set up shop on his front lawn, dressed up in a bat costume, with a table, smoothie ingredients and a sign.
In one spectacularly successful afternoon, Amos raised $78 for Fauna Rescue to help look after Adelaide’s flying-foxes thanks to his delicious fruit smoothies along with donations. It wasn’t all about the money though, Amos also shared what he knew about these bats and why they’re so special.
Fauna Rescue has now given the family complimentary membership for a year and invited them as special guests to its Nature Festival events too, where he will be presented a certificate of appreciation.
Do you also have a love of grey-headed flying foxes? Check out some of these bat facts below:
Why are grey-headed flying foxes threatened?
In Australia they’re a threatened species because of habitat loss and changes to climate. This has caused them to now travel long distances from their normal range in the eastern states, in search of food – arriving in Adelaide only in 2010.
What do grey-headed flying foxes eat?
Grey-headed flying-foxes search for food at night looking for banksia and gum tree blossoms, and when these aren’t available, they may feed on fruit such as apples, pears, cherries, and figs.
They find food using their strong sense of smell and excellent vision, leaving the camp around dusk each evening, and returning before dawn.
These native bats prefer to feed within 20 kilometres of their camp, but can travel up to 50 kilometres in search of food if necessary.
How many grey-headed flying foxes are in Adelaide?
The grey-headed flying fox population in Adelaide has increased steadily since 2010. The increase is mostly from flying foxes coming from interstate, rather than breeding.
Adelaide has around 25,000 flying foxes, but it changes every year.
Learn more about Adelaide’s environment
Brush up on more grey-headed flying fox facts in Adelaide.
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