Group of grey-headed fruit bats / flying foxes, Pteropus poliocephalus, hanging in native trees against blue sky, in Australia
RMID:Image ID:F75RRR
Image details
Contributor:
Stephanie Jackson - Australian wildlife collection / Alamy Stock PhotoImage ID:
F75RRRFile size:
18.2 MB (1 MB Compressed download)Releases:
Model - no | Property - noDo I need a release?Dimensions:
2700 x 2350 px | 22.9 x 19.9 cm | 9 x 7.8 inches | 300dpiDate taken:
10 November 2015Location:
Hervey Bay, Queensland, AustraliaMore information:
Although they play an important role in the pollination of native plant species, fruit bats, which are commonly referred to as 'flying foxes', are unwelcome, particularly when they roost, as these animals were doing, close to residential areas. They are despised by orchardists as they damage fruit crops, and they are carriers of the deadly disease known as 'Hendra virus'. This disease is contracted by horses and can be transferred to humans who come in contact with either infected horses or the bats themselves. A vaccination has recently been developed to counter the virus, but several people have died from this terrifying disease.