From:
Sorry to intrude a non-bird request but I can't find anything on
the net or in my local newspaper and I want to know who is
organising protests, petitions etc..
Recently the new Victorian minister for "the environment"
announced that ALL the c8000 fruit bats camping in the Melbourne
Botanic Gardens would be killed in view of the damage to trees,
annoyance to visitors ...
There is only one other flying fox camp in Victoria: at
Mallacoota (c400 bats). Both must include animals from NSW.
Our flying foxes are lovely, fascinating and endangered. It's
great to see them in the Botanic Gardens or around my local
patch.
Can anyone help please.
Michael Norris
The Sydney Botanic Gdns has the same problem - some 10 years or more ago
they forced the bats to move back to Gordon where there is a big colony, as
they were seriously damaging the palm tree grove, but in the last couple of
years they've returned and there must be at least a 1,000 there again.
They were removed by tying plastic bags in the trees in which they were
roosting and by playing very noisy drums and other instruments early
morning under the trees when the bats returned. A cherry picker was needed
to fix the plastic bags which rustled and flapped in the wind and disturbed
the bats who made it past the noise. This time the Gardens people appear
to be doing nothing and the bats are multiplying - quite a sight to see as
you stand on the Opera House forecourt at dusk and watch them winging their
way across the harbour.
Penny Drake-Brockman, Examination Recitals Co-ordinator, Sydney
Conservatorium of Music.
Tel: 02 9351 1254.
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