By MEGAN OGLE
RESIDENTS are going batty over flying fox colonies with local councils battling it out to fix the problem amid public outcry.
Sunshine Coast Council (SCC) recently used noise, smoke and lighting to disperse flying foxes away from a residential area in Maroochydore, a move hailed as “successful” by local media and the SCC.
Noosa Council was urged to follow in the SCC’s footsteps with Councillor Jason O’Pray recently telling local media that he “encouraged Noosa Council to educate themselves on the program”.
However, a Noosa Council spokesperson said the council had already begun implementing their own flying fox management plan.
“Noosa Council last year commissioned expert consultant Ecosure to provide flying fox management advice,” they said.
“Ecosure’s recommendations formed the basis of a flying fox management options report that council endorsed late last year.
“Ecosure recommended a range of actions to reduce the impact of flying fox colonies on nearby residents, but reinforced council’s view that dispersal efforts are unlikely to achieve long-term results of removing flying foxes from a local area.”
The spokesperson said Ecosure’s report highlighted that dispersal attempts were expensive and failed to keep flying foxes away with a great concern of potentially shifting flying foxes into other residential areas.
This includes a flying fox colony currently located at Elizabeth Street Drain in Central Coolum.
The SCC recently released a warning to Coolum residents not to touch flying-foxes that may be in their backyard following illegal dispersal attempts near the roost.
The SCC had previously tried to disperse the flying foxes at the Elizabeth Street Drain last year using smoke, noise and lights but the attempts were unsuccessful.
A SCC spokesperson said: “In May, the flying foxes returned after an absence of four weeks, and in July, they returned after four days.”
Local media reported the SCC has since announced they will implement a dispersal method similar to that of Noosa starting with the clearing of vegetation and the installation of a sprinkler system.
According to Ecosure, one of the most practical management actions for dealing with flying foxes in residential areas is to increase the space between homes and the vegetation where the flying foxes roost.
“Noosa Council completed vegetation work around the Wallace Park precinct last month, and is currently looking at a sprinkler system trial that can provide a further 15 metres of separation,” the Noosa Council spokesperson said.
