Feral Horse Numbers on the Rise in Kosciuszko National Park

How Much is a bat worth?

Did you know that bats eat their body weight in insects each night? That makes them priceless if you don't want mozzies around you. Economists have now put a value on the importance of bats to our economy. The economic benefit ranges from insect control to the bond market.

Published online 14. May. 2026

The National Wild Life Centre, in the USA is developing a vaccine that can be administered to wild bat populations so as to prevent White Nose Syndrome caused by the fungus Pseudogymnoascus destructans (Pd). Feild trials have shown 'that vaccination can result in lower fungal loads, less severe wing damage, and higher return rates of bats the year following treatment'.

Published online: 23. Aug. 2026

Bats Originated in Europe

A team of researchers combed through ancient bat fossils and genomic data from living species to establish that bats originated 65 million years ago in Europe, not Africa or Asia.

Bats account for one fifth of all mammal species in the world, with 1500 living bat species currently known. The research published in Nature, examined the genomic code found in bats hoping to determine how bats live with zoonotic loads that are so harmful to humans.

Published online: 24 Sept 23 2026

After two years of managing feral horse numbers in the Kosciuszko National Park, numbers have increased due to breeding and a dry summer. More work needs to be done to protect our valuable alpine region with its critically endangered plants and animals.

Published online: 1 June 2026

Possible Vaccine to protect against White Nose Syndrome.

The population of an endangered Australian bat suddenly dropped by up to 16%

A sudden decline in critically endangered bats is troubling experts, who recorded about 5,000 fewer southern bent-wing bats than usual at Naracoorte’s “bat cave” this summer.

Possible explanations for the decline include habitat clearing, drought, fewer flying insects that the bats eat, or human disturbance at non-breeding caves, many of which are located on private land.

Published online: 30 July 2026

Culling of Brumbies on hold in NSW Parks

A legal challenge to the culling of brumbies in Kosciuszko National Park has placed the use of aerial shooting on hold. The challenge is based on wording in the NSW NPWS Act. In particular, does the word 'remove' also included 'killing'.

Published online: 9 Sept. 2026