Not one but two new flying foxes for domain

The Ashburton District Council has announced the domain’s flying fox will return and better yet, there will be two of them. Photo: Supplied via Ashburton Courier

Staff at Ashburton District Council are preparing a summer surprise in Ashburton Domain - two new flying foxes that will run side-by-side.

The Walnut Ave site where the old flying fox was removed in early 2020. Photo: Supplied

The district council's Open Spaces team has been working on the surprise, which will see the 50m flying foxes installed on the eastern side of the walkway running from the central car park to Walnut Ave.

The council made the announcement last week and says work will begin soon on the necessary infrastructure in a bid to get it up and running early in the new year.

The work will include creating a soil mound at the southern end with a long ramp for accessibility.

Softfall material will be added underneath.

People using the domain over the next few weeks will notice earthworks and construction at the site, as the installation team works flat out to try to have it up and running early in 2023.

The domain's much-loved, old flying fox, which ran alongside the Walnut Ave boundary, was taken down in 2020.

The new ones are part of a 30-year development plan for the domain.

Ashburton Courier