Colony of flying foxes causing havoc in Gympie, Queensland
A council is considering a buyback scheme due to a longstanding issue with fauna. Angry locals have spoken out and a mayor now wants the federal government to act.
A Queensland council has been forced to consider a housing buyback scheme for residents living amid a colony of bats that have left properties “worthless”.
At least 20 families in and near Gympie’s Commissioners Gully, about 180 kilometres north of Brisbane, have been complaining about hundreds of flying foxes that wreak havoc daily.
For at least the last six years, fed up locals have been forced to hide inside their homes, endure loud shrieks at sunset and sunrise and dodge bat poo that falls from trees.
There have even been reports of damage to properties and cars.
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Speaking to news.com.au, Gympie Mayor Glen Hartwig said families were often trapped inside their houses couldn’t can’t enjoy their front or backyards while the bats roosted.
“Some have had the abrasive nature or the acidic nature of the bat droppings cause damage to their homes,” he said.
“But because of their health concerns, they (the residents) don’t have family and friends over anymore. They can’t have grandkids around to enjoy the beautiful gardens.”
Mr Hartwig revealed some locals have even been forced to keep their windows shut for most of the day due to the smell of the flying foxes faeces.
“They’ve suffered enough. They can’t afford to move out because that home is their nest egg. And it’s basically been made worthless by the bats,” he said.
Local Christopher Nevin has been particularly vocal, saying the sheer number of flying foxes was causing serious health and safety concerns among neighbours.
“It’s mostly just noise and droppings that are the biggest issue,” he told 7News.
“We’ve had three dead bats (in the yard) that we’ve had to scoop up and throw in the bin.”
Mr Nevin also told the ABC that branches collapsed under the weight of the bats.
“They destroy trees, they put a lot of pressure on the branches, and they start collapsing. We’ve had a few trees fall over and land on our fence.”
The issue has spiralled so out of control that Gympie Regional Council last month endorsed a new management and dispersal plan, including government funding for vegetation control and exploring a potential buyback scheme, to help affected residents.
But Mr Hartwig said more had to be done to solve the longstanding issue, suggesting the state and federal government act quickly.
He has already spoken to an assistant minister, who the mayor said had a “practical mindset” and understood the impact on residents.
But the main issue was the legislation “supports the life of the bat over the life of a human being”, Mr Hartwig told news.com.au.
Some flying foxes are protected under state (Nature Conservation Act) and federal law (Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act).
“We need a change in legislation so that we can actually take more direct action to move the bats on,” he said.
“Without that change, local government’s hands are tied and … we can spend truckloads of money and achieve very, very little, if any, outcome at all.
“If particularly the federal government wants to maintain this legislation that is very difficult to work under, then effectively they’ve created the problem.
“They should be funding to fix it.”
Mr Hartwig argued the flying foxes being listed as an “endangered species” was far from the reality that Gympie locals had to deal with.
“I think there needs to be some re-examination of that (legislation). There’s nothing endangered about the numbers that we have in Commissioner’s Gully,” he said.
“When you add the other local government areas that have been affected by bats as well, I think there’s a healthy population.”
The mayor flagged residents could be left with no other option but to move out if the legislation was not altered to help council address the issue.
Flying foxes play a critical role in the ecosystem, acting a pollinators and dispersing seeds to regenerate bushland and other vegetation.
But in recent years, urbanisation, land clearing, climate change and entanglement in netting protecting fruit have led to their population decreasing.
The Spectacled flying fox has been listed an endangered species, while the grey-headed flying fox is considered vulnerable.
In a statement to news.com.au, the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) said bats were facing many challenges, including habitat loss and degradation and disease.
“Increasing numbers of flying-fox camps near urban areas is also heightening conflict with humans,” the department spokesperson said.
“These threats are compounded by a changing climate – for example in 2018, a massive heatwave wiped out about a third of Spectacled flying foxes in Far North Queensland.
“The Grey-headed flying fox is protected under national environment law as a matter of national environmental significance.”
It referred to a DCCEEW guideline that can assist local governments with the impacts of the two species of flying foxes in regional towns and urban areas.
Originally published as Colony of flying foxes causing havoc in Gympie, Queensland
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