Admin post *please note this is not reptile related but as a member of wildlife care I am forwarding this message on their behalf, as I know there are some strong advocates for bats as members here also. The Burdekin Shire Council (North Queensland) has announced that it will disperse a colony of flying foxes in Home Hill on tuesday, wednesday and thursday (4-6 Nov), using starter pistols. The colony has been there on and off for years. At certain times of the year there are hundreds of flying foxes, but at the moment, there are only about 200, mostly mums with big bubs. The Council has refused to consider alternatives to dispersal or at least to postpone the dispersal until the young are capable of flying. The colony is in a narrow park between a busy road and a railway line. There is only one house close by. When I visited the colony this morning there was no smell, hardly any noise audible over the traffic, and no mess. One of the nearby residents didnt even know the colony was there! Noone seems to be complaining about the colony at the moment and there is no valid reason to disperse them now. Can you please help me convince the Council that dispersing flying foxes is a daft idea at the best of time but that doing it now would be the worse possible time? Please contact the Mayor urgently - before tuesday - on 07 4783 9812 or by email on [email protected] In your phone call/email you may want to use one or more of the following (please use your own words): - dispersal is not effective during the breeding season because the young cannot fly and neither can the mothers carrying big babies - dispersal is cruel during the breeding season because the animals who cannot fly cannot escape the noise - dispersal is ineffective at the best of time - in most cases the bats move only a short distance and come back within a few weeks or months - if there is no damage and the residents are not complaining there is no valid reason to disperse the colony at the moment - instead of dispersing the bats, it would be best to modify the park (ie stop irrigating and mulch the ground) and/or conduct a public education campaign - tourists stop to see the bats - why not turn them into a tourist attraction? - the Burdekin should try to remain famous for its fruit and vegetables and not for its cruelty - if the Council does not reconsider its dispersal, next time your are driving through the Burdekin, you will not stop - if the Council does not reconsider its dispersal, next time your are going shopping, you will avoid Burdekin fruit and vegies While you are at it, you can cc the other councillors: [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] and please spread this through your networks! Dominique Thiriet
Posted on: Sat, 01 Nov 2014 00:35:25 +0000
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