RESIDENTS of Home Hill who are being “driven batty” by the current colony of flying foxes in Kidby’s Gully, which are causing significant concern to residents in the vicinity, may be able to find out how to gain financial assistance towards solving their problems by following a “Flying Fox Roost Residents on offer by the Townsville City Council to their ratepayers.
The bat problem was raised in the April edition of The Home Hill News by State Member for Burdekin, Dale Last, who, in his regular column, indicated that he has again written to the Burdekin Shire Council regarding the “serious health concern” caused by bats.
“I was advised by council that its department was working on a dispersal plan, which needed to be formulated and costed before the issue could be further considered,” Mr Last advised.
Under the city program, Townsville residents are able to apply for up to $3000 through the City Council to assist with impacts associated with the seasonal influx of flying-fox populations.
Guidelines to the program advise that it assists impacted residents to alleviate the negative impacts to their property (eg. increased noise and damage caused by droppings), associated with the influx of the bats.
Eligible residents under the program are those who live within 200 metres of a flying fox roost; the flying foxes must have been present in the roost for at least six months; there must be a minimum of 1000 flying foxes present in the roost; and the roost must consist of species other than the Little Red Flying Fox due to their nomadic nature. Mr Last has assured residents that the issue will not be one that he will let lie.
