Organized heat wave response programs for fruit bats, particularly flying foxes in Australia, have developed effective protocols for rescuing and rehabilitating heat-stressed individuals.
Heat wave rescue for flying foxes represents one of the most acute and dramatic wildlife welfare emergencies in Australia, with events that transition from normal conditions to mass mortality within hours. The welfare dimension is severe: heat stress causes progressive neurological impairment, organ failure, and death in a manner that involves significant suffering before unconsciousness. Rapid rescue intervention transforms welfare outcomes from mass death to mass survival in affected animals that reach carers quickly. The organizational capacity of wildlife care networks, built through volunteer training and equipment provision, determines the welfare outcome of individual heat events. Climate change is increasing the frequency, intensity, and geographic reach of these events, making welfare preparedness increasingly urgent.