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Bats Qld News

December 2013

In This Issue

The Bloody Towers

Labour’s Response

Editorial

Batavia Expansion

BatsQld Merchandise

Don’t Touch!

Enrichment

Batty News in Brief

Good On Ya, Tweed!

Animal Action Day

Bats of the World

A Positive Thought

New Members

Gabi Gets her Gear off

And Finally…

Contact Us

http://www.batsqld.org.au Lockyer Valley 605 Spinach Creek Rd, Fordsdale via Gatton, Qld 4343 Email:

enquiries@batsqld.org.au Phone: 07 4697 5177

Welcome to Bats Qld Summer Newsletter * As I write this, bats are under siege. The government has changed legislation to facilitate this – see our lead story.

* We are in the thick of baby season again. Thank you everyone for all the work you do to raise these little ones, and for those financial supporters who allow us to do this.

The Bloody Towers

On the 9th of December, Charters Towers began the ‘dispersal’ of little red and black flying foxes living in the town. This took the form of bombardment with water cannons, smoke, paint bombs, helicopters and fireworks. Eye-witness reports are harrowing: dependent babies could not fly off, and the brave mothers circled frantically, desperate to get back to their little ones. Deaths were inevitable: smoke inhalation and crush injuries immediately, to be followed by stress and starvation. Witnesses say local observers were cheering. Carers were able to rescue a few bats, and we salute them for this – it must have been terrifying to be seen to support bats in a town so impassioned about their destruction.

The slaughter ended – for now – after two days, despite the plan of it lasting two weeks. Council claims that this is because the reds have moved off. The reds are migratory, and would have moved eventually anyway.

We are deeply worried this is just the start.

PLEASE KEEP SPREADING THE WORD.

We need to let the whole world

know about these atrocities. Can you help?

Do you have media contacts? Do you know any celebrities we can

persuade to the cause? If so, please get in touch as soon as possible.

Cartoon by: Rohan Chakravarty, www.greenhumour.com

Why do we worry that this is just the start? The Queensland Government has introduced a sneaky bit of legislation in the form of a new framework which will allow councils to act immediately to “manage” flying fox roosts, without having to apply for a permit. This has the complete endorsement of the so-called Environment Minister Andrew Powell. One wonders if the Police Minister is about to begin culling cops, and whether the Health Minister will soon call for a cull of doctors. Powell said, "A code of practice is in place to make sure that dispersals are done in a way which best manages any associated risks and animal welfare issues, in accordance with Commonwealth, State and local government laws.” But there are state and federal animal welfare laws that the Charters Towers dispersal has clearly broken – yet no official to monitor this. The Queensland Animal Care and Protection Act, 2001, which is still current, states that:

A person must not be cruel to an animal. Maximum penalty—2000 penalty units or 3 years imprisonment. A person is taken to be cruel to an animal if the person does any of the following to the animal— (a) causes it pain that, in the circumstances, is unjustifiable, unnecessary or unreasonable; (b) beats it so as to cause the animal pain; (c) abuses, terrifies, torments or worries it; (d) overdrives, overrides or overworks it.

Seems clear to us, but no doubt the government has found a loophole. Please keep writing letters and emails, signing online petitions, and boycotting irresponsible towns. And please think about animal welfare whenever you vote.

This is Marbles, Michele’s first baby. When he goes out into the

world, we need him to be safe.

Although we question the necessity of dispersals – inconvenience hardly seems to be reason enough to move colonies – if dispersals are to be done, there are right and wrong ways to carry it out. Shortly after the Charters Towers carnage, the town of Chinchilla also dispersed a colony, but they did not use water cannons, paint ball pellets or helicopters, but smoke only. Reports say there were no fatalities, and that the scene co-ordinator called a halt when the circling bats were tiring. The colony eventually settled about 600m away, and this was deemed satisfactory. The report also says that no babies were present, but this seems odd at this time of year. Nevertheless, it proves, if further proof was necessary, that the actions at Charters Towers were deliberately, unnecessarily cruelty.

Labour’s Response

For what it is worth, the office of the Shadow Minister for the Environment has responded to our letters to him. It seems there is little they can do, being in opposition, but they are aware of the problem, and claim to be on our side. The text of the letter follows:

Good afternoon, On behalf of Mark Butler, thank you for your email regarding the dispersal of flying fox colonies in Queensland. I share your concerns regarding the way in which flying fox colonies are being managed by local councils in Queensland. Labor believes that the responsible management of flying fox colonies should be done in a humane manner, including by taking into account breeding cycles and the age make-up of populations. I encourage you to continue to hold the Queensland Government and local councils to account for the way in which they are managing the dispersal of these colonies. Thank you again for taking the time to raise your concerns with Mark.

Editorial Please note, as an editorial, this is an opinion piece and does not necessarily express the views of Bats Qld.

I despair for humanity. I really do. Rene Descartes, (1596-1650) believed that animals were automatons. He performed unspeakable tortures on dogs, but claimed that their “apparent” expressions of pain – flinching, crying – were simply pre-programmed responses and did not indicate that the animals genuinely experienced pain. It is an incredible thing to think, and defies logic. Animals have organs of digestion, as we do, and we both consume food. Animals have organs of reproduction, as we do, and we both reproduce. Animals have a central nervous system and brain, as we do, so of course, we both feel pain.

More to the point, we both feel. As supporters of Bats Qld, I have no doubt you believe, as I do, that animals experience emotions. This implies that they are worthy of our empathy. I have been horrified by the responses of many of the locals of Charters Towers in the lead up to their flying fox dispersal. On facebook, people have been saying that they wish they could use guns. They have talked of using flamethrowers, of stomping on the bats and smashing skulls. They express joy at the concept of inflicting suffering – they want to punish the bats for the perceived inconvenience of having them in their town. Now these animals are not intentionally causing inconvenience. They are simply living their lives. The imbalance is huge – a bit of noise, a bit of smell, a misunderstood and miniscule risk of disease – and the yobbos believe this warrants a slow, painful death? There is quite a bit of evidence to show that such a lack of empathy towards animals is indicative of psychopathy. How safe are these peoples’ families and pets?

Rene Descartes: Ancestor of

the mayor of Charters Towers?

Another thing I have found interesting and alarming is that this phenomenon is not limited to young men. I don’t wish to appear sexist, but, looking at conviction rates for violent acts, for example, expressions of violence have traditionally been linked to testosterone. And of course, nurturing roles in society, those requiring empathy, have traditionally been filled by women. In the last decades, women have been taking on more traditionally masculine roles… for good and ill. The rise of lad-ette culture has seen women out binge-drinking, getting tattoos, and the like, which does not appeal to me, but each to their own. The worrying trend is the increase in violent activities amongst women. They are increasingly taking up the hunting of exotic species. And in Charters Towers, they are just as bloodthirsty as their male counterparts.

Listen, I’m a feminist, but I don’t want equality on these terms! My idea of equality would be for both sexes to move towards empathy and caring for all species. ~ Yvonne

Sulawesi macaque.

P.S. There is a news item in this newsletter about bats destined for the dinner table in France. Wild-caught bush-meat is eaten by many peoples around the world, and is of major concern for the conservation of species. As many of you know, I am undertaking an MSc in Primate Conservation this year. I will be going to Sulawesi in Indonesia to conduct a study of the potential to release Sulawesi macaques confiscated from the trade, back into the wild. I have recently seen a documentary on these monkeys, in which the film crew visited a meat-market, where monkey body-parts were for sale. As an aside, the camera swept across a table laden with the bodies of hundreds of flying foxes, also being sold for meat. Now, unless people are vegans (as are some of our members, but certainly not all) it is hard to take the moral high ground on the eating of animals. However, what I find ironic is that the people of Charters Towers claim to be terrified of bat-borne diseases, despite being in no danger from their minor exposure to faeces or urine, but the people of Sulawesi do not fear disease, despite butchering and consuming the animals which exposes them to blood and is far more risky! If only the attitudes were swapped, Australians wouldn’t fear bats and Indonesians wouldn’t hunt them!

Batavia Creche Expansion

Last newsletter, we mentioned the expansion of our Woodford crèche. Well, the BatsQld release site is even bigger and better than ever. This year we built a 4 metre extension to allow for the staging of crèche babies and rehabs. It works a treat and this now means we don’t have to hold animals for as long. As soon as babies are weaned they can come to their release site and wait for their group. It is fabulous for rehabs too as the roof is lower allowing for easier access to animals still needing treatment and assistance. We now have a whopping 12 metres x 10 metres of release facility. Batavia also got a purpose built bat room this year, so it is a very workable facility now. Come and have a look at Batavia in Woodford next time you get up this way.

BatsQld Merchandise

We now have a page on Cafe Press where anyone can buy Bats Qld T-Shirts, sweat shirts, hoodies and other bits, all with the Bats Qld logo on them. From every sale we get a donation and the great thing is we don’t have to hold expensive stocks of T-shirts etc, which never seem to be the sizes people are looking for.

Merchandise is available at: http://www.cafepress.com/batsqld Thanks Pete, for setting this up.

Don’t Touch

We’ve had a small run of C3 cases lately, with bats biting or scratching would-be rescuers. Unfortunately, the protocol from Queensland Health is that such a bat must be euthanized and sent to them for testing for lyssavirus before the person is offered post-exposure vaccine. Of course, since less than 0.5% of bats carry the virus (and it is lethal in them), the chances of exposure are tiny, and none of our recent cases tested positive. However, the disease is scary, and the vaccine vital if exposure has occurred, plus any harm to humans will very much harm bats too. While it is gratifying that the public want to help bats, it is IMPERATIVE that bats are rescued only by experienced, vaccinated rescuers. Please remind people of this! A towel can be thrown over a bat, or a box or laundry basket placed over it to protect the bat until help arrives.

Enrichment of Flying Foxes

“Enrichment” is commonly referred to in the zoo-keeping community. It means the intellectual and psychological stimulation of captive animals, and is done to prevent boredom and promote the expression of natural behaviours. Enrichment can take the form of novel feeding devices (like puzzle feeders), toys, sounds, smells, textures, social companions of the same or different species, interesting foliage or moving ‘furniture’ (like swinging logs or tyres). We are preparing our babies for life in the wild, so it is important we teach them skills for their future. To do this, we expose them to different stimuli. We present fruit in different ways – hanging on kebabs, hidden in baskets, spiked on tree branches. We give them unstable branches to climb on, so they can improve their balance, since branches in the wild will move in the wind. This all makes for happy, well adjusted, stimulated babies that are able to solve problems and cope with challenges and changes, such as the transition to crèche.

Charmaine’s babies in their outside cage, getting some sunshine – important for

vitamin D formation. They are climbing on a jungle gym made of a scarf rack.

Pantaloons, Ponsonby and Liliac (last years’ babies) balancing on a wobbly tree branch, swinging on a hula hoop, sniffing a tea towel sprayed with vanilla oil, and selecting fruit from a selection spiked on twigs.

Batty News in Brief Climate Change Bad News for Bats A recent study published by the Royal Society indicates that climate change could affect bat communities around the world, by hindering their ability to hunt effectively. The research found that changes in air temperatures could impact the bats' abilities to navigate in the dark via echolocation.

Sweatbands, Socks and Balloons – Oh My!

Recently, someone in Arlington, USA called an animal control line to report a bat inside the home. The bat turned out to be a sweatband. Other reported bats have turned out to be socks and deflated balloons. The authorities aren’t frustrated by such reports though. It shows that people in the community really care about animals.

Equipment theft Thieves stole bat detection equipment worth thousands of pounds from the UK’s Warwickshire Barbastelle Project. It was in a secured locked container in the middle of a woodland, and useless to anyone except ecologists. The equipment is very important to the successful completion of the project and future conservation projects.

Bats for Dinner

An exotic food-store in Paris, France was raided recently by police, who discovered 20 bats in a freezer, illegally imported from Africa and destined to be sold as meat. Porcupines, gazelles and caterpillars were found too. Investigators are trying to find out if the animals are endangered so the owner can be charged with crimes under the Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species.

Finally, Some Good News

A flying fox colony in Madang, Papua New Guinea was recently checked by scientists to see if they posed a threat of potential disease to humans. Fortunately they were given a completely clean bill of health.

Tweed Prioritises Properly – Shame It’s Not in Queensland!

Tweed Shire Council has developed the threatened species recovery project to link floodplain vegetation with the Burringbar Range. It also aims to protect the shire's endangered ecological communities including plants, and animals such as the koala, Albert's lyrebird and grey-headed flying fox.

Animal Action Day

Babies Natasha and Lilac came too, although they were not officially on display! It was a good show, with media presence from Channel Seven, and four new members signed up, including new active member Ryan, who then came to the AGM and training too.

With very short notice, we were invited to a Gold Coast event in celebration of the Australia-wide Animal Action Day on the 13th of October. Anja, Ali and Gav set up the stand in our own tent, and were supported by Sharon, Mary, Michele and Molly.

Baby Lilac, left, and the team in

action, right.

Bats of the World Fijian monkey-faced bat Mirimiri acrodonta

This bat is the only native mammal in Fiji, and the only member of its genus.

It appears to live only on a single mountain, in rainforest above 1,000m elevation, on a single island, Tavenui, and is Critically Endangered, with fewer than a thousand individuals remaining. The main threat is habitat loss.

A Positive Thought

Christine has sent in a story Tanya sent her at 2am after doing a rescue for her: An old man was walking along the beach, where hundreds of starfish were washed up on shore. He came across a little girl picking them up and throwing them back into the water. “Honey,” he said, “There are so many, so what you are doing doesn't matter.” She picked up another and said, “It matters to this one.” Christine says this is her inspiration when everything is getting a little out of sorts.

Welcome to Our New Members

Since our September newsletter, we have the following new members: Edwina Sharpe, Nadia O’Carroll, Jeffrey Brown, Ryan Adams, Suzan Corbett, Brianna Duffield, Stephanie Ashton- Walters & Susan Wilson. Welcome all.

Gabi Gets Her Gear Off!

A report from the fearless (and gorgeous) Gabi: I was called out to a rescue of a bat strung across a dam, and lo and behold there the poor fellow was. No boat, no air mattress, nothing available so I did the strip (without all the music) and went in. Yuk, dams are disgusting! All that slime! I was only able to cut the wire and drag the poor bat out.

` And finally...

When many people think bats, they think of blood-sucking creatures of horror-films. In fact, of the more than one thousand species of bat in the world, only three are haemophages (blood-drinkers): the vampire bats of Central and South America.

The cast of Twilight: they wouldn’t look so cool wearing adult diapers…

In order to drink blood, they have very special adaptions which have been conveniently ignored by the authors of vampire books and films. Think about this the next time you read about or view vampires!

1. Blood is very dilute nutrition. To get enough for energy to survive, the vampire would have to consume massive amounts and filter out the water, so he or she would be continuously urinating.

2. Being swollen with blood would make the vampire appear bloated.

3. If a vampire does not feed enough, others would have to regurgitate blood for it to feast on, as vampire bats do.

Of course, there would be benefits. They would indeed have to be fast and strong. An experimenter once caged a South American vampire bat with a hungry rat snake. The bat was able to evade all the snake’s attacks, and got a blood meal from its face!