Smoke and clean up to start at flying fox camps this week

Eurobodalla Council’s flying fox dispersal activities continue this week, with smoke to be added to the mix of loud noise and lights for the first time, and clean-up of the cleared vegetation to get underway.

Council says although the dispersal appears to have been successful so far, it’s important to remember that the natural dispersal of flying foxes occurs every year at this time. Director of Planning and Sustainability Lindsay Usher says he believes the noise and lights have hastened the flying foxes’ departure to their camps up north where it’s warmer and the food supply is abundant.

“Our dispersal activities with the noise and lights around the Water Gardens and Catalina have nudged the flying foxes that haven’t flown north into a single camp near the Catalina golf course, and the numbers there are still quite large,” he said. “While we are doing everything we can to disperse the flying foxes before our licence requires us to stop on 31 July, we expect that a large number of flying foxes may remain unless they decide to leave of their own accord, probably in search of food.”

The conditions of Council’s flying fox dispersal approval requires that primary dispersal activities cease on 31 July because the female flying foxes will be heavily pregnant or with their young. Subject to government approval, and as part of Council’s three year flying fox management plan, dispersal activities may resume after February when the flying foxes return from up north and for those that have stayed over the whole of the winter.

Mr Usher says smoke will be introduced to the dispersal activities this week. “Smoke is a deterrent to flying foxes and is part of Council’s dispersal and management plans for the flying foxes,” he said.

“The smoke will be generated by burning the vegetation stockpiles created from the dispersal clearing around the Water Gardens and Catalina. Weather conditions will need to be favourable and we ask residents nearby to please take health precautions associated with increased smoke,” he said.

“The Rural Fire Service and the town fire brigades have been told we’ll be burning off and we’ll be distributing letters this week to residents in the affected areas around Catalina and the Water Gardens to update them on progress and to tell them about the burning.”

Mr Usher added that vegetation removal is continuing as authorised by the NSW Government under the dispersal plan to create a greater distance from residences and flying fox habitat.

“We have quite a bit of cleaning up to do around the Water Gardens and Catalina area where our machines have been removing vegetation and residents can be assured this will be done as quickly as possible over the coming weeks. We’ve needed to remove vegetation, including casuarinas and some eucalypts, to provide the buffers and keep vegetation away from overhanging pathways,” he said.

“Under the three-year dispersal plan, Council will continue to monitor the flying foxes and evaluate the work that has been completed so far. This will help in determining the success or otherwise of the dispersal attempts, animal welfare, vegetation buffers, and the subsidised services. All of this will assist us for the ongoing and future dispersal activities that align with the approvals from both the NSW and Federal Governments.”

The flying fox dispersal plan is available to read or download on Council’s website, along with all the latest information about the flying fox situation.