The flying fox was one of two released back into the wild on the weekend after being admitted to the Statewide Wildlife Rescue Emergency Service’s intensive care unit in Spring Gully.

WRES vice-president Jo Lyall said wildlife shelters across Victoria and up into NSW and Queensland were already seeing steep spikes in the number of flying foxes in care.

“We fully expect more in the coming months, apparently we are in for a scorcher of a summer,” Ms Lyall said, explaining that heat exhaustion and a lack of food was a big problem.

“We are gearing up for it now. They are coming thick and fast at a lot of shelters in Victoria and all the way up through NSW to Queensland.”

Dehydrated adults and babies were known to drop from trees or even fall from the air. One was recently found in a gutter at the intersection of Don and High streets.

WRES volunteers have been busy putting the final touches on new nursery pens for a range of animals at the Spring Gully shelter.

They have also supplied the material needed to make “bat wraps” for baby flying foxes.

Bat wraps are specially designed to replicate a mother’s warmth and give babies something to cling onto while they rest.

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The Bureau of Meteorology is predicting summer rainfall to be below average, with December promising to be a dryer month with warmer days across most of the country.

Ms Lyall said any bushfires over the summer would create even tougher conditions for critters like flying foxes.

She advised those who came across sick flying foxes to call licensed handlers. The foxes were known to bite and could carry the dangerous lyssavirus.

Ms Lyall said despite concerns about the heat Rosalind Park’s flying foxe colony could be in for an easier summer than some.

“It’s reasonably cool in Rosalind Park because it’s well covered by shade. But not every colony is in Rosalind park,” she said.

Other local critters were also at risk as the weather warmed, including ring-tailed possums.

“The possums get out of their hollows because they can overheat. They sit at the bottom of tree trunks where cats and dogs can get them. So it’s important to keep dogs on leads when out on walks,” Ms Lyall said.

This season had also seen a number of sugar gliders attacked by cats, she added.

Those who come across sick or injured animal could call the wildlife rescue 24-hour emergency line on 0427 301 401.