Pop quiz answers

1. What are two other common names for flying-foxes? 

Bats, fruit bats

2. What’s the words for flying-fox in Kabi Kabi and Jinibara language?

Kabi Kabi - Garrimundi, Girrimundi or Currimundi

Jinbara - Bar bar.

3. What’s the name of an area on the Sunshine Coast which means Place of flying-fox? 

Currimundi.

4. What are three things about flying-foxes which can make them difficult neighbours? 

They can be smelly, noisy, and messy.

5. What are the two main roles flying-foxes play in the eco-system? 

Pollination and seed dispersal.

6. How many seeds can one flying-fox disperse over a single night? 

Up to 60,000.

7. How far can a flying-fox fly in one night searching for food? 

50km.

8. What does the dispersal method involve? 

Using things such as smoke, loud noises and bright lights at dawn to scare flying-foxes away.

9. Why are flying-foxes living increasingly closer to houses? 

• Habitat loss – man made threats – building and development. 
• Environmental threats – natural disasters from global warming.

10. What are three positives of creating a buffer to separate flying-foxes and people?

• Distance between humans and bats – less impact.
• Flying-foxes aren’t harmed in the process.
• It has little effect on the environment.

11. If you find a sick or injured flying-fox, what should you do? 

Do NOT touch it. Tell an adult. And call the RSPCA – 1300 ANIMAL.

Sunshine Coast Council has plenty of flying-fox resources if you’d like to learn more about flying-foxes.

Thanks for listening! Please share our adventure with your friends.

Voiced by

Tyron de Kauwe

Uncle Lyndon Davis

Uncle BJ Murphy

Sarah Jones

Monika O’Hanlon

Produced by

Monika O’Hanlon

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Pop quiz questions

1. What are two other common names for flying-foxes? 

2. What’s the words for flying-fox in Kabi Kabi and Jinibara language?

3. What’s the name of an area on the Sunshine Coast which means Place of the flying-fox?

4. What are three things about flying-foxes which can make them difficult neighbours? 

5. What are the two main roles flying-foxes play in nature or the eco-system? 

6. How many seeds can one flying-fox disperse over a single night? 

7. How far can a flying-fox fly in one night searching for food? 

8. What does the dispersal method involve? 

9. Why are flying-foxes living increasingly closer to houses? 

10. What are three positives of creating a buffer to separate flying-foxes and people?

11. If you find a sick or injured flying-fox, what should you do? 

For the answers, go to episode 15.

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Nice work! You’ve made some brilliant choices and it seems both humans and flying-foxes can live near one another in peace! 

Scroll down to episode 14. 

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The situation improved as Sam realised how important flying-foxes are for the environment. Perhaps next time we could’ve done things a little differently? Maybe after making a buffer between humans and flying-foxes, which improves the situation almost instantly, we could do some education. That way we can create empathy for the flying-foxes, as the public is made aware of just how important these creatures are. But we got there in the end, so that’s the main thing! 

Go to episode 14.

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So we’ve created the buffer and that’s definitely improved the situation. And as it was only 30 Batty Bucks, it means we still have money left in the budget… Now you want to do some Education which only costs 15 Batty Bucks. We’ll have to organise some school talks, do some interviews on radio, television, share resources online, create video content, maybe start up a podcast – let’s get the word out about why flying-foxes are so important – stat!

As Sam and other members of the community learnt more about flying-foxes you created a sense of empathy. And although it hasn’t removed the situation it has defused it a little. 

Because you’ve only spent 55 Batty Bucks, you can afford to create a new habitat – which will hopefully make the situation better in the future. So let’s cracking, head to episode 13.

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Alrighty, so the buffer is improving the situation with Sam and the good news is we still have some Batty Bucks left in our budget. 

So now you want to create a new habitat? Okay let’s get to it. We’ve got an area we can plant in which isn’t too far away, and there’s even room next to the creek, which they’ll love. Hopefully this will mean once this new area is ready, the flying-foxes will stay around there and stay away from humans.

Uh-oh, Sam is frustrated as she hasn’t witnessed any further improvements. It can take up to 20 years for the trees to mature enough to entice flying-foxes to live there. 

You still have enough money left over so it’s time to implement education. Go to episode 12.

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So we’ve created a buffer, your next point of attack is using the dispersal method. 

Oh… we don’t have enough money. Creating the buffer costed 30 Batty Bucks which means we have 70 remaining. The dispersal method costs 90 Batty Bucks. Bummer, we’re going to have to go back to the drawing board…

We have enough money in our budget to create a new habitat as it’s only 20 Batty Bucks? If that’s what you’d like to do next go to episode 10.

Or the education option is only 15 Batty Bucks. If you think this should be your next move go to episode 11.

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Education is really helping - people are definitely becoming more aware of why flying-foxes are so vital to the environment. We didn’t damage the environment doing it, and it only cost 15 Batty Bucks!

However, educating people about flying-foxes doesn’t help the situation right now - Sam and their neighbourhood are not coping. We haven’t helped the situation at all and there are a lot of stressed out people. 

So education is a valuable tool to help people recognise why flying-foxes are so important to the environment – but it doesn’t improve the situation for Sam or anyone living nearby right now.  

We need to try a different approach – at least for our first option. So let’s have another go.

Would you like to try the dispersal method? Head to episode 5.

To create a buffer, go to episode 6.

And to build a new habitat, pop on over to episode 7.

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Building a new habitat is great for the environment, and this site is a good distance away from humans so hopefully they’ll stay around here. The only thing is… flying-foxes like to roost pretty high up in the canopy of trees. It might take up to 20 years to get to a size which will entice the flying-foxes. This doesn’t really help Sam and their neighbourhood right now. And they’re at breaking point. 

Okay so maybe creating a new habitat for the flying-foxes wasn’t quite the right first choice in this instance. It’s a great idea and comes with so many positives but maybe this is a step to take further down the track. We really need to improve the situation for Sam and her neighbours as soon as possible. Why don’t you have another go?

If you’d like to try the dispersal method, go to episode 5.

Perhaps you think creating a buffer is a good idea, head to episode 6. 

And if you think education will solve the problem, scroll down to episode 8.

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The flying-foxes are now further away and less noisy and smelly, we haven’t bothered them much and we’ve had minimal impact on the environment - but… the issue hasn’t been resolved. 

We started with 100 Batty Bucks, and we spent 30 creating the buffer which means we have 70 left.  

What do you think our next move should be?

If you want to try the dispersal method, go to episode 9. Create a new habitat, head to episode 10. Or give education a crack, scroll on down to episode 11.

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