Monday, December 6, 2010

Flying Foxes Again 7/12/10

Flying Foxes

A colony of flying-foxes has set up camp in Nambucca Heads’ Gordon Park, much to the chagrin of those living close by. The most likely explanation for the new guests was simply their seasonal hunt for food, National Parks spokesman Lawrence Orel said. Flying foxes have been known to travel hundreds of kilometres to find food, usually native tree nectar or rainforest fruits. “Flying foxes do tend to move around, they travel up and down the coast following the flowering of native species of plants,” Mr Orel said. Sometimes a camp would be forced to relocate if a location they had previously roosted in was destoryed. Flying foxes formed two kinds of camps: a ‘maternity’ camp, which was established and permanent, and a temporary camp, which existed only while there was a plentiful supply of food, Mr Orel said. Gordon Park was mostly likely a temporary camp, due to the small number of bats there. But there was every chance Nambucca would remain a regular site for flying-fox visitors in years to come. They were known to develop an affinity for certain camps, and would return to the same trees anually. Nothing could be done about the mess, noise and smell created by the camp, because flying foxes and their camps were protected under NSW legislation, Mr Orel said. Those in the neighbourhood must simply wait until the food supply ran out, and the flying foxes moved further afield. *Guardian News


Charters Towers residents under siege from a colony of bats are also faced with a plague of blood-sucking mites. Thousands of bats are roosting in Lissner Park as Charters Towers Regional Council remains locked in battle with the State Government over its plan to muster them away from the area using a helicopter. Residents say the creatures are noisy and disease-ridden, have destroyed the park with their droppings and created a foul stench in the area. The bats have also been blamed for bringing swarms of a small unidentified insect, described as similar to a tick, that latches on to skin to feed on blood. Mayor Cr Ben Calcott said the mites were an ongoing concern. In previous years, some workers had been taken to hospital to have the insects removed, he said. ''The mites adhere to their skin like ticks,'' he said. 'If you attend the park you run the risk of these mites adhering to you. They're an insect-type thing with legs so they're fairly mobile bloodsuckers.''

Cr Calcott said the mites were living on the bats and residents were fearful they could spread disease. 'We know a very small number of bats have lyssavirus and or hendra virus or melaka virus,'' he said. However, the Department of Environment and Resource Management said it had not received any complaints relating to mites. ''Further, Queensland Health advises bat mites do not carry any diseases that can be transmitted to humans,'' a spokeswoman said. The department has refused to grant permission for council to use a helicopter to muster the bats into a new habitat, away from the township, as there was no guarantee the bats would not be harmed. More than 2000 people have signed a petition for the bats' removal. Politicians and business leaders plan to hold a public rally on Saturday. The spokeswoman said the department would consider any application from council for a damage mitigation permit to disperse the flying foxes, as long as the methods proposed were humane and did not impact public safety.

''The minister (Climate Change and Sustainability Minister Kate Jones) has written to council urging them to work with the department on long-term strategies to manage the impacts of flying foxes in Charters Towers, as the migratory animals travel to the area every year before moving on, once food sources, such as flowering trees, are depleted.'' Cr Calcott said council was in discussions with a Melbourne scientist about its proposal, which it would re-submit following her input. ''We're sticking to our guns to muster them out of town with a helicopter,'' he said. The rally will start from Charters Towers Hospital at 9.30am and head down Gill and Deane streets to Lissner Park. *Townesville Bulletin


About 500 people protested over the weekend against the Queensland Government's refusal to relocate a colony of flying foxes from a park at Charters Towers, south-west of Townsville. Sustainability Minister Kate Jones says she is prepared to hold further talks about how to handle thousands of the noisy mammals, that have inhabited Lissner Park in the town for almost a decade. Charters Towers Mayor Ben Callcott says all previous relocation attempts either have not worked or have not been allowed by the Government. "I think [Premier Anna Bligh's] on the skids anyway but that's beside the point," he said. "What I hope is that the LNP government has the maturity to do something about it because that's what we need. "People mention guts - it's not a matter of guts. "It's a matter of being able to think and reason and have the maturity to actually plough through a problem and do something about it." Councillor Callcott says locals are growing more frustrated by the day. "This is the first showing of strength from the town and that's a good thing," he said. "If they see that there is solidarity out there maybe they'll think again, but we have been told by a member from DERM [the Department of Environment and Resource Management] that we're right on the cusp of a breakthrough, so who knows then?" *ABC

Flying Foxes 7/12/10

Flying Foxes

The Charters Towers Regional Council, south-west of Townsville in north Queensland, says it will resubmit an application to have thousands of bats moved from the town centre early this week. A protest rally was held last month, calling on the State Government to move the bats which are roosting in the town's main park. Charters Towers Mayor Ben Callcott says despite assurances that Queensland Sustainability Minister Kate Jones would meet him to discuss the matter, he is yet to hear from her. "It's an absolute difficult struggle," he said. "I would like to see the Government become mature enough to have a look at this legislation and change it but they are adamant that that's not going to happen. "They wants us to work within the existing legislation and that is almost impossible. "I've met Kate Jones personally and I would hope that she might talk to me directly on these things - that's what I wish her to do. "It hasn't happened on the last couple of occasions and I'm not totally satisfied with it." *ABC

Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Flying Foxes, 1/9/10

Flying Foxes

Something is luring flying foxes, or fruit bats, to Tasmania. One was found in a Sandy Bay garden in May, and another grey-headed flying fox has now been found dead on power lines on the Esplanade in Somerset. Nine sightings mostly in the North of the state have been reported since April. Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment senior zoologist Michael Driessen said it was rare to find the flying mammals in Tasmania. "But the flying fox, or megabat, is capable of flying the distance between Melbourne and Tasmania," Mr Driessen said. The state's first flying fox was found on King Island in 1938, and the last, before this year, was found on Flinders Island in 2004.

The Sandy Bay flying fox was the first to be found on the mainland of Tasmania in more than 50 years. The first was washed up at Woodbridge in 1946 and the second at Eaglehawk Neck in 1951. Including the Somerset flying fox, only four have been found on Tasmania's mainland. Tasmania's endemic bats, or microbats, weigh about 7g to 20g. A flying fox can weigh up to 1kg. "Flying foxes are striking creatures and, as with all wildlife, should be left untouched if found. People should not attempt to handle dead or alive ones if found," Mr Driessen said. People are asked to phone 6233 3751 if they find a flying fox. *Mercury

Monday, August 9, 2010

Flying Fox News 10/8/10

Flying Foxes

A petition urging government action on flying foxes in Charters Towers is to be presented to State Parliament next month. Dalrymple MP Shane Knuth, who will present the petition, said a decision by the Department of Environment and Resource Management to refuse permission for Charters Towers Regional Council to use helicopters to clear flying foxes from Lissner Park had been the final straw. "Before they used to use the excuse that we wanted to use lethal means to move the bats and now that we come up with a non-lethal way to move them, they still knock us back. It is a disgrace," he said. DERM wildlife management director Nick Rigby told council he was not satisfied that flying foxes would not be killed or injured while being mustered to another location by helicopter. Mr Knuth said this proved the government cared more for bats than it did for people. "I would like to see the environment minister come here and debate the bat problem any evening at 6pm when they are flying away to feed," he said. Resident Allan Henderson said people had been lining up to sign the petition. "Everyone in town wants them gone. No one can use that part of the park where they roost during the day. There's flying fox excrement all over the picnic tables. It's terrible. Lissner Park has become a bat reserve," he said. Mr Henderson said the people of Charters Towers wanted their park back. * Townsville Bulletin

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Flying Foxes Pink batts aren't the only bats that will be preying on Peter Garrett's mind at the moment. Of the many native species the Minister has responsibility for in his environment portfolio, probably none cause as much public and political controversy as flying-foxes -- that is, fruit bats. Within the next two months, the Minister will have to make a decision on whether to approve the proposal by Botanic Gardens Trust to disperse, by means of noise harassment, the colony of grey-headed flying-foxes from Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney. There will be immense political pressure on the Minister to approve the action.

The gardens are within the NSW environment portfolio and, to date, the state bureaucracy has done everything it can to ensure the dispersal goes ahead. All that stands between the Botanic Gardens Trust and some bat harassing is Commonwealth approval. But to approve the dispersal, currently the subject of a referral under the Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act, the Minister will have to place a higher value on the preservation of exotic plant exhibits in the gardens than on the protection of a federally listed threatened species. There is a body of evidence that shows that dispersals generally don't work and are likely to have serious implications for the bats' welfare and breeding success. Problematically for him, the Minister's own department recently listed for public comment the Draft National Recovery Plan for the grey-headed flying fox.

This draft, endorsed by the NSW Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water (of which Botanic Gardens Trust is a part), contains criteria that will be used to determine whether habitat should be classified as critical for the survival of the species. The Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney meets every single one of the criteria. Loss of such habitat is highlighted as being a high priority threat to the recovery of the species. Approving a dispersal would be akin to dismantling a policy before the ink is even dry on the signatures. Approving the Royal Botanic Gardens dispersal will inevitably have a domino affect on those areas of conflict where residents feel that flying fox colonies are diminishing their quality of life but are being stonewalled when it comes to applications to disperse the bats. Maclean, on the mid-north coast of NSW, is a site of ongoing conflict; Singleton in the Hunter Valley is another with a long-term history of bat-related stress and it's only a matter of time before Kareela in Sydney's south and Bowraville on the mid-north coast turn into political problem areas because of flying-fox conflicts.

If the Minster approves the dispersal of the colony at the Botanic Gardens -- where human conflict with the bats is minimal and no one can seriously claim that their quality of life is being degraded -- how will he then be able to stare down applicants at sites where there is obvious conflict but don't have the loose change to spend on the extensive applications and approvals process (Botanic Gardens Trust has a budget for the dispersal that far exceeds what a local council could ever commit)? Garrett's bat problem is only going to get worse. *Crikey


The flying foxes that soar above Cairns each afternoon could ­become the city's newest tourist attraction. Dozens of tourists have been gathering near the Cairns Library each afternoon to watch hordes of bats flying away from nearby trees in search of food at dusk. For the past two weeks, the bats have been filling the sky at least three hours earlier than usual, creating an impressive sight in daytime. Tolga Bat Hospital co-ordinator Jenny Maclean believed the bats had become more active earlier because of the wet weather. "With all this wet weather, it’s very hard for them to get out and find food," Ms Maclean said. "If you’ve ever gone out on a motorbike without a visor in the rain, it’s very hard. Imagine if you were flying through rain. What it means is, they are hungrier than usual by 2pm and haven’t been able to get out as much the night before."

Ms Maclean said she had been trying to encourage the Environmental Protection Agency to erect an interpretive sign near the Cairns Library bat colony in an effort to educate people about native wildlife. "It’s something that could be used in marketing us as a wildlife destination," she said. Koala Beach Resort manager Ben Harvey said the bats were a spectacular sight during the day. "It definitely seems to be getting earlier and they really stand out in the light of the sky," he said. Mr Harvey agreed the flying foxes could be a tourism drawcard for Cairns. "I think it’s very unique," he said. "I’ve come up from Sydney and it’s something that really amazes me." Cairns Regional Council is hosting a bat summit this year, but has yet to set a date. Cairns Mayor Val Schier said there were ongoing issues across the region about the impact of flying foxes on residential areas. "Handling bats can be complex and if we can share information strategies with the scientists, environmentalists, residents and council officers, then with that power we can look at how we can prevent bats from settling in suburbia without damaging the environment," Cr Schier said. *Cairns Post


Melbournes heatwave in January killed about 700 flying foxes and affected many more native animals. Wildlife carers rescued hundreds of possums and birds across Melbourne while many died before they could be rehydrated and taken into care. A colony of endangered grey-headed flying foxes at Yarra Bend was devastated by the heat and many had dropped from the trees, said Denise Garratt, president of Help for Wildlife. Joanne Ainley, of the Australian Research Centre for Urban Ecology, processed the dead bats yesterday and said about 700 had died in the heat. Wildlife Victoria received 264 calls to its rescue hotline by midday on Tuesday. It was the busiest morning on record other than during the bushfires, said Aisha Reynolds of Wildlife Victoria. There were 349 calls on the day, 100 more than average. The group set up a triage unit at its Brunswick Street facility to cope with the number of injured animals. At the South Oakleigh shelter, which normally receives one or two animals a day, Michele Phillips said more than 50 came in. ''The possums just fall out of trees in this weather,'' she said. *Age