Defence Monitor

Australia Day drone shows

Canberra’s Australia Day drone shows delayed due to risk to threatened bats

Canberra’s Australia Day drone shows delayed due to risk to threatened bats

Canberra, Jan 24 (IANS) Planned drone shows to celebrate Australia Day in the nation's capital have had their start time pushed back to prevent harm to a population of threatened bats. The population of about 2,500 grey-headed flying foxes -- an endemic species listed as vulnerable to extinction by the federal government -- live in Canberra's Commonwealth Park on the shore of Lake Burley Griffin between October and June. Each night at around 8:45 pm local time, the bats leave the park en masse to feed on fruit. That nightly phenomenon has prompted authorities to delay the drone shows over…
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