Council moves on Gatton bat colony – Ipswich Queensland Times
LOCKYER Valley Regional Council has a flying fox camp in Gatton firmly locked on its radar.
Lockyer Mayor Steve Jones said council was aware of the problem the gathering point posed and was following protocol in its bid to manage the flying foxes’ impact on the community.
“Council is aware of the necessary procedures that must be followed prior to any removal or dispersal of the pests,” Cr Jones said.
“A Damage Mitigation Permit (DMP) from the Department of Environment Resource Management (DERM) must be obtained and council will not attempt to remove or disperse the colony without having obtained the DMP.”
The flying fox camp, located on the banks of Tenthill Creek, has been the source of ongoing complaints in recent years, however the recent deaths of horses across Queensland from Hendra virus has brought fresh concerns.
As yet no hendra virus cases have been reported in the Gatton area but several horses and a family dog have been affected in Mt Alford – about 100km away.
Horses were also affected in Beaudesert.
Premier Anna Bligh has warned that attempts to cull or move large numbers of flying foxes to prevent the spread of Hendra virus could have the reverse effect.
The virus is spread to horses through the flying mammal’s waste product and can then be passed onto humans.
Before making an application for the DMP, council officers held a pre-lodgement meeting with officers from DERM.
DERM then requested further information from council after identifying areas of the application that were not sufficiently addressed in the initial submission.
Cr Jones said the council engaged the services of world-recognised flying fox expert Tim Low to ensure the information request from DERM was addressed appropriately.
The report is now complete.
“While this report did not have specific recommendations, it did identify a number of issues and options for council and DERM to consider,” he said.
Council is now in the final stages of submitting the report to DERM for consideration and any further action will depend on the response from DERM.
Cr Jones said the council would also seek approval on grey headed flying foxes in the colony, and identify if any dispersal was likely to have a significant impact on this species.
This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters featured article: A 'Malign Intellectual Subculture' - George Monbiot Smears Chomsky, Herman, Peterson, Pilger And Media Lens.
