‘The sky is black’: Alice River residents desperate for flying fox dispersal

Blood-sucking lice are falling from the sky and the screaming never stops - for years these Alice River residents have lived with a flying fox colony and now they’re desperate to be heard.

Alice River residents Barry Turville, Leanne Moore, Wade Moore, Helen Townsend and Tony Townsend pictured in one of the back yards which has been infested by flying foxes. Picture: Shae Beplate.

For 15 years a street of Alice River residents have been attempting to live their lives with a flying fox colony hanging over their heads.

Homeowner Helen Townsend was the first one to build in the area 35 years ago after falling in love with her large property’s beautiful old gums and birdlife.

Now she can’t go outside because there are black flying foxes roosting just metres from her veranda, blood sucking lice are falling from the sky and crawling through her lawn, and she can’t open her windows because of the smell.

The rosellas, kookaburras, kites and owls are gone as well.

“My throat hurts all the time now, you just want to lock yourself away because of the smell,” Mrs Townsend said.

“These bats are not in just one or two trees. They are across 12 properties in hundreds of trees over about 14 acres... the sky is black when they take off.”

Mrs Townsend said the flying foxes first appeared in an easement near her property 15 years ago, and their numbers have grown steadily.

One of the red coloured 'lice' that are dropped by the flying fox colony. These lice are now so thick in the resident's gardens a simple stroll can lead to their legs being covered in lice. Children cannot play outside.

“They weren’t dealt with, and now it’s just out of control,” Mrs Townsend said.

“I’ve talked to every politician I can. I’ve had them over for tea, they all say ‘we can’t believe you live like this’ than they never do anything.”

Eight years ago the colony started roosting year-round in their ‘camp’, and five years ago their numbers exploded.

The desperate residents have clocked up years of correspondence with the likes of Jenny Hill, Margie Ryder, and Ann-Maree Greaney... so far, all they’ve gotten is a set of lights and some grants to help them wash their houses and trim the trees.

The Alice River colony is mostly made up of black flying foxes - the largest bat species in Australia. Picture: Shae Beplate.

Mrs Townsend said ultimately Townsville City Council advised her to ‘coexist’ with the colony, and gave her a few tips on nonlethal ways to disturb the bats.

Every morning the neighbours light fires at 5am to try and smoke the colony out, every afternoon they bang pots and pans together, play noises over a loudspeaker, smack pool noodles together, and more, doing their work under umbrellas and raincoats to protect themselves from the sulfuric-smelling droppings.

The residents have spent thousands of dollars trimming trees - only, the tree lopper crews now refuse to go near the flying foxes because of the health risk.

Alice River residents Barry Turville, Helen Townsend and Tony Townsend pictured in one of the back yards which has been infested by flying foxes. Picture: Shae Beplate.

Neighbour Barry Turville also moved to Brosnan Court because he loved the large trees and quiet acreage living.

Like many of his neighbours, Mr Turville is now regularly waking up to bat faeces and vomit on his doors, walls, and windows.

With its population exploded, the flying foxes are struggling to find enough room and are now roosting wherever they can. Residents say they can 'reach up and touch them' on some trees.

Both Mrs Townsend, Mr Turville and their neighbour Wade Moore believe even if they chopped down all the roost trees, the colony would only move about 100m into another street.

Mr Moore said the colony is in the wrong place.

“Our trees can’t handle this. Quite a few look dead and others are completely denuded of leaves,” he said.

“The bats are actually destroying the environment here.”

The residents say they don’t want to see the flying foxes killed, but they are desperate for a proper dispersal attempt and point to the success seen in the Ingham dispersal of 2020.

Flying foxes pictured in one of the back yards which has been infested by flying foxes in Alice River. Picture: Shae Beplate.

North Queensland councils have long been paralysed when it comes to flying foxes.

While the animals are borderline noxious and destructive, they are also protected by iron-clad environmental laws in the Nature Conservation Act 1992.

The laws are so stringent, councils must follow a code of practice when they mulch and mow near a flying fox roosting site, let alone attempt a dispersal.

According to a study published in the Australian Journal of Zoology in 2021, only 23 per cent of flying fox dispersal attempts were actually successful, and no dispersal attempts costing less than $250,000 ever worked.

Townsville City Council were contacted for comment.

Originally published as ‘The sky is black’: Alice River residents desperate for flying fox dispersal