Flying Foxes hounded from their habitat
The Grey-headed Flying-fox is listed as vulnerable.
We are honoured to host a colony along the Mitchell River at Bairnsdale, but due to bat phobia, their trees are due to be knocked down by the shire to move them on. These are magnificent nocturnal creatures and are being hounded on from their camps where people feel threatened by them.
This is likely to stress the colony as they might not find another equally cool site for summer roosting. Alternatives exist for the council. Not all the trees are dangerous and ready to fall over as the council claims.
UPDATE: The shire is still intending to remove all of the poplar trees along the river – in stages. These are feral trees, granted. But they are also perfect roosting sites for the bats in the heat of summer. Their revised plan has been sent to the Federal government where the compliance section (Fed environment law)is assessing it. The Flying Fox is listed as a threatened species nationally.