Our Charter

The Don’t Shoot Bats campaign began in early 2012 with a group of conservationists, wildlife carers and advocates.  At the time, permits to shoot flying-foxes were issued in NSW, and the Qld Liberal National Party advised that if they won government, they would reintroduce permits to allow farmers to kill flying-foxes. Such permits had been banned after the previous Qld Government accepted expert advice that the practice was inhumane. 

Since then, Queensland has reintroduced shooting in orchards, relaxed laws and welfare standards for dispersals and destruction of urban camps, and weakened vegetation laws. Flying-foxes are exempt from humaneness laws that apply to other Queensland wildlife. 

Our Objectives

  • End the legalised killing of and cruelty to flying-foxes
  • Conserve flying-foxes as keystone species
  • Recover threatened flying-fox species
  • Promote community appreciation and tolerance of flying-foxes

Our Values

The key values underpinning our campaign are:
  • Animal cruelty is never acceptable. Flying-foxes are sentient animals with complex social lives, and should be treated humanely.
  • Australia’s natural environment is of immense irreplaceable value. Flying-foxes play a vital ecological role by pollinating and dispersing the seeds of many native plants over long distances. For the sake of environmental health, they should be a high conservation priority. 
  • We have a special responsibility to help declining species. Flying-foxes have lost much of their habitat and two are listed as nationally threatened. Their future depends on protecting and restoring their habitat and reducing other threats.    
  • Living amongst wildlife is a great privilege. As animals who are highly visible in both urban and rural settings and with complex behaviours, flying-foxes offer some of Australia’s most exciting natural spectacles. Much more should be done to promote understanding and appreciation of their lives, through education and ecotourism. 

Our Code of conduct

  •  We will prosecute our case with passion, honesty and integrity
  • Our arguments will be based on fact, not opinion
  • We will not engage in lies, exaggeration, or misinformation
  • We will collaborate with others who share our core values
  • We will not engage in offensive language, vilification or threatening behaviour
  • We will persevere until such time as our goals are met
A PDF version of the Don't Shoot Bats Charter is available for download.  If you wish to comment on our charter or our behaviour, please contact us by email