CHILDREN from a school near Marlborough are doing their bit to help the Australian bushfire crisis by getting productive to help affected fruit bats.

Ramsbury Primary pupils are making 'bat wraps' that can save the lives of orphaned bats, as the fabric mimics the safety they get from their mothers.

The idea came about when the Australian aunt of one Year 5 child contacted her family to raise awareness of the thousands of bats that have died in the fires.

The pupils learned that in December, 23,000 spectacled flying foxes, about a third of the bat species’ population in Australia), died in North Queensland.

Annabelle, in Class 5, said: “I think making bat wraps is really good because it helps the baby fruit bats get better.

“I think the bat wraps will help the baby bats feel safe and comforted.”

Luke, also in Class 5, added: “The bat wraps are just like the bat’s mother because they copy a mother cradling the baby bat with its wings.”

The children plan to send the wraps, made from flannelette, to Australia in the next couple of weeks.

They also discussed in assemblies that over the past months, thousands of Australians have had to leave their homes due to bushfires, with temperatures higher than 40°C in every state in the country.

Although bushfires are normal in Australia, this year excessive strong winds, storms and raging temperatures have created dangerous conditions in many places, killing around 20 people and hundreds of thousands of animals.