Flying fox dispersal stops Saturday

Dispersal of Batemans Bay’s flying foxes stops this Saturday, with Council’s Director of Planning and Sustainability Lindsay Usher saying the results to date are pleasing but calling for the community to have realistic expectations.

Camps at the Water Gardens, Lake Catalina and around Heron and Albatross Road are now empty, and the loud noise and lights of dispersal that started in late June have nudged the remaining flying foxes to one location at the back of the golf course in Catalina. The estimates are still around 30,000 to 40,000 flying foxes at the camp.

Council had approval from the NSW Office of Environment and Heritage to conduct dispersal activities up to 31 July 2016. After this time, the flying foxes are heavily pregnant or have dependent young, and both Federal and NSW Governments prohibit dispersal while the species is vulnerable.

Mr Usher says the natural departure of the flying foxes has made all the difference to the dispersal results. "The flying foxes were already uncomfortable because of the colder weather and diminishing food supply. Our noise and lights, and more recently, smoke, have played on their natural tendency to move to their camps up north,” he said.

“It’s almost certain the flying foxes will return when the weather warms up and food sources become available, so I’m urging the community to have realistic expectations about how dispersal works and the natural movements of the flying foxes.

“When they do return, we can’t predict in what numbers or where they will camp. Flying fox numbers are largely in response to the availability of food and there will always be a food supply in the Eurobodalla.”

Mr Usher says it’s important for residents to understand that Council had an exemption to perform dispersal activities until the end of July and no primary dispersal activities can be performed when the flying foxes are heavily pregnant or with young.

“This is why we’ve investing heavily in increasing the vegetation buffer zones during the dispersal period to minimise conflict between flying foxes and residents in the future,” he said.

“This strategic approach has effectively managed to locate the flying foxes into one area for now. We’ve managed to reduce the impact on residents and that was a primary goal of this dispersal attempt,” he said. “We’re also pleased to report there were minimal animal welfare issues during the dispersal period.”

Mr Usher says Council will be monitoring the presence and welfare of the flying foxes on a regular basis, as per the approved three-year dispersal plan. “We ask the community to keep letting us know if they spot flying foxes roosting during the day. This helps us identify where we may need to undertake future dispersal activities and when this may be feasible in accordance with the approval conditions set by the NSW and Australian governments.

“It’s vital that we continue to manage this situation in a strategic manner or we could undermine all the good work to date,” Mr Usher said.

“We’re currently working on a conservation agreement with the Australian Government that means if another dispersal is deemed necessary, there is one less step for Council to go through in terms of approvals. We are also developing a regional flying fox management plan for the whole shire, and this will provide us with quicker response times to deal with the flying foxes within our approval guidelines.”

Council will continue to clean up around the Water Gardens and Catalina where machines have been removing vegetation, including casuarinas and some eucalypts, to provide buffers and keep vegetation away from overhanging pathways.