Bat plague at Charters Towers blamed for illnesses
IT’S the Queensland town where flying foxes outnumber humans by over 20 to one. Now residents have reached the desperate stage.
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A 200,000-strong colony of flying foxes wreaking havoc on a north Queensland town is believed to be behind a spate of mystery illnesses among residents.
Charters Towers has been overrun by the biggest colony of flying foxes in the town’s history, with people now reporting respiratory viruses and unexplained rashes.
Parks and the town swimming pool have been closed and children are no longer allowed outside to play, while property prices are plummeting and businesses are suffering.
Mayor Liz Schmidt said the stench across the regional town was unbearable, with bat droppings and dead flying foxes littering the streets and pathways.
“People are sick and there’s anecdotal evidence some people are quite unwell,” Cr Schmidt said.
“I myself have a scratchy throat and runny eyes, but our concern is really for our frail age and very young, as we don’t know the impact of these airborne pollutants.”
Cr Schmidt said the town had reached a state of “desperation”, with three town rallies already held to call attention to the scourge.
“The sheer weight of these bats is actually destroying the trees, and some of the trees in the park are more than 100 years old and are heritage-listed,” she said.
“It’s really quite horrific, particularly for people in and around the park itself.
“It’s still a terrible menace.”
Cr Schmidt said the council was struggling to find a solution, with permits severely limiting what they could do to move the bats on.
MP Robbie Katter said the infestation was the worst in living memory, with previous record numbers not even half of the 200,000 currently roosting in and around Lissner Park.
“It is a town under siege and truly in crisis,” he said.
“Undeniably there have been increased instances of respiratory problems and people being bitten by lice and ticks that are falling from the bats, which can be full of disease.
“There have been people who have completely lost the value of their house.”
Charters Towers resident Tania Hornberg lives across the road from Lissner Park and said even the ducks were abandoning the area.
“We’ve been invaded and they’re basically turning our parks and houses into a toilet bowl,” she said.
“I know some children who went to the pool and they were coming out covered in red spots.
“The mess they make is unbelievable and people who have to leave their cars outside have to clean them every day, and I couldn’t hang my washing out so I had to rig up a little line under my porch to dry my clothes.
“You can’t even enjoy a meal because of the stench.
“It’s not a nice place to be at the moment – it’s horrendous.
“Kids can’t go out in the yard and people are even worried about their pets being outside, and there are dead bats all over town in the streets and footpaths.”
Environment Minister Leeanne Enoch says she “understands the frustration this has been causing residents”.
“EHP officers were on the ground in Charters Towers last week, and we appreciate the scale of the situation,” she said.
Originally published as Bat plague at Charters Towers blamed for illnesses
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