Bat solution a waiting game
FR U S T R A T E D re s i d e n t s will have to be patient and wait for a roost of thousands of red flying foxes to move on, Thuringowa MP Aaron Harper says.
It comes as Townsville City Council revealed they expect to spend $ 40,000 by the end of the year managing the colony in Dan Gleeson Memorial Gardens in Thuringowa.
Mr Harper said the council was doing all they could to control the flying fox situation.
“It is known that little reds are quite nomadic,” he said.
“I ask people for some patience.
“I hope they can get on top of it and encourage the bats to move out of town.”
Mr Harper said he was willing to speak to Environment Minister Steven Miles to see if there was anything else that could be done.
“I’m happy to take any further ideas back to the minister,” he said.
Ingham has battled for years against flying fox colonies roosting in the Botanic Gardens, but Mayor Ramon Jayo said they could do little to manage the bats.
“At the moment our numbers are down since the Little Reds aren’t around but they may come back,” he said. “You can’t do too much. “If you start dispersing them, you may just disperse them into suburbia. Everyone has a tree in their backyard where they could end up.”
Cr Jayo said each council could only do the best they could to manage the problem without wasting public funds.
“We do not have the powers to be able to do anything,” he said. “The Government is telling us we need to live with the bats. I want them to come and tell my community that because they do not want to live with the bats.”
Thuringowa resident Dean Lawson said $ 40,000 seemed like a lot of money to spend on the colony.
“If they’re spending that much money, that seems a bit excessive,” he said.
“I’m not a bat expert but there must be another option.
“I’m just concerned about what diseases they might be carrying.”