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MONDAY,APRIL21,2003•THEAGEtheage.com.au

Thegreatbatbungle

Shiftingpartof theflyingfoxpopulationfromaMelbourne

landmarkcouldendupdrivingsomepeople batty. EwinHannanreports.

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Three weeks after theyweresent packing fromMelbourne's Royal BotanicGardens,20,000bats remainmissing in action. Over thepast fortnight, thousands of theformer28,000-strongcolonyhave moved into the FitzroyGardens, creatinga huge racketas they settled in historic treesaroundCaptain Cook's cottageCouncilPavilion restaurant.

The Melbourne City Coun-cil was notimpresseSustainabffity fromthe Victorian Department ofSustainability andEnvironment were in thegardensbeforedawneverydaylast week trying to get the batsto move on. Meanwhile, theflying fox population inGeelonghas ballooned from50to 2500 in a few weeks. And,across Melbourne's suburbs,residents are reporting nightlybatvisits.Asmallnumberhavebeen seen even in Albury.

As for the rest? "We'remissing about 20,000," saysLawrence Pope, president ofthe Victorian Animal WelfareAssociation. "We don't knowwhere they have gone."

Robert Begg, the depart-ment's acting director of floraand fauna, thinks the batshave gone north for the winter— in autumn. "Instead ofgoing north in May, they havegone in April," he says.

So far, only a handful havemoved permanently to wherethe department wants them togo: a specially prepared site atHorseshoe Bend in Ivanhoe.But hundreds do regularly popin there for a free feed — andto rub, smell and lick the plas-tic decoy bats put there toattract them. Last year, about90 bats, including 26 pregnantfemales, were placed in threecages at the site.

"Only a small number areroosting there, including someof the juveniles who were bornthere," Begg says.

Philip Moors, director ofthe Royal Botanic Gardens, ishappy the strategy of blastingthe bats from their former FernGully bunker appears to haveworked. He hopes they willmove progressively along the

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Yarra. Does he know where therest are? "No," he says. "Wedon't. They are not about."

Sending the bats to leafyIvanhoe was not the BracksGovernment's first option.Initially, Labor decided thebats should be re-located toDowell Creek, near Mallacoota

Two years ago, Moorsfronted a public meeting thereto discuss the plan. Accordingto Gippsland East MP, CraigIngram, Moor's pitch failed toinspire the locals. "(Moors)said, 'this is not a meeting,where we give you feedback,we are telling you this needs tobe done and how it's going tobe done'," Ingram says.

"It was ugly and rightly so.Here was this cafe-latte-sippingtoff with his high-paid publicrelations consultant and flashvideos telling us poor countrysouls why this was going to begood for us. It went down likea lead balloon ... Even thedeprtment and Parks Victoriaboys were saying, 'these blokesare gooses'."

Moors remembers thingsdifferently. "I would not haverecalled it in that context," hesays. "In any case, the decisionabout moving the flying foxeswas the department's call. It'stwo years down the track. Ifthat's the way Craig wants torepresent it ... he has got alocal constituency."

Despitresidentsial hostility,Ingram says Mallacoota resi-dents were prepared to supporta trial re-location. But, inMarch 2001, then environmentminister, Sherryl Garbutt,called it off, citing "excessivecosts, concerns from the localcommunity regarding theimpact of bats on the area,anddoubtamongscientists ofthe likelihood of success".

"We just about had a sol-ution," Ingram says. "It was atrial. We had a way forward.But ... when we got the pressrelease blaming the people ofMallacoota, there were peoplewho were pretty upset aboutthat. The government madethe decision not because thecommunity didn't want them,but because it was going tocost too much. It was going tocost $1000 to $2000 a bat."

After abandoning the Mal-lacoota option, the governmentauthorised the culling of thou-sands of bats, arguing that itwas required to limit damageto the Botanic Gardens.

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own'a tree for every batilled. Begg says because ofhese threats, the departmenteven 18months later) will notisclose the number of ani-als killed.He is also circumspect

bout theamountof taxpayers'unds allocated to this world-irst bat-diversion program.eggadmits the cost could bebout $1 million, but says heannot be prec ise .

t is mid-morning at theitzroy Gardens. The Pavilionestaurant is doing a steadyrade. Patrons arettracted by the serenity, butoday it is a cacophony. About000 bats fill the trees, hang-ng off branches, and litteringhe sky. Tourists look up,ointing their cameras."They chatter a lot," says

ope. "ik lot of what you'reearing is requests for sex by

he males. They get lots of

knock-backs. The cack cackcacksoundyouhear, that's thefemale saying, 'bugger off'."

When The Age spoke toPope, he was unimpressed bythe department's strategy tomove the bats on. At 4.30ameach day, Volunteers assistdepartment officers who usecomputer-generated soundbuggies to try and scare thebats out of the gardens. Themachines are so loud that ear-plugs and earmuffs are worn.The tactic is repeated at 6pm.

"To keep them out thegardens, they are going to haveto keep tormenting them,"

The cack cack cacksound you hear, that'sthe female saying,`bugger off. LAWRENCE POPE

Pope says. "It's just stupid. It's

Alice in Wonderland stuff. Ihave been down the Yarra overthe past week. There is not oneroosting there. They cannot beherded. They are not cattle. It'slike trying to herd cats."

But later, after further talkswith Begg, Pope is moreupbeat. "I think the depart-ment acknowledged it wouldbe barbarous to use heavy-handeddispersal methods onbats that are breeding andnurturing," he says.

"I am cautiouslyoptimistic. I am little morehopeful. What was neededwere clearer lines ofcommunication between thedepartmentford stakeholders."

City of Melbourne council

lor Kate Redwood says thecouncil remains very con-cernedat the potential damageto the historic gardens. "It'slike friends whocome tostay,"shesays. "As longastheydon'tstay too long.

"It's a concern both interms of highly valued andmatured trees. It'sa concern interms of cost. It's a concernthat some people find themmessy and smelly. There aresome people concerned attheir potential to causedisease."

The department had hopedthe bats would be forced out ofthe Fitzroy Gardens by Mon-day last week. It didn't happen,and departmental officers andvolunteers have been workingfeverishly to have them moveon over the Easter period.

"I think, in fact, it's gonefairly well to date in terms ofthe dispersal process," Beggsays. "To expect them to go atall from the (Botanic Gardens)was a pretty big ask."

Begg says the departmenthadno ideathousandsofbatswould flee to Geelong. "Thatwas totally unexpected. Wedidn't have a clue they wouldgo there." The key to success,he says, is building up a "criti-cal mass" of bats at anappropriatesite.Theplan is toprogressively entice them upthe Yarra in the hope they set-tle at Horseshoe Bend. "If wecan just engage 500 or 1000,the others will follow," he says.

But Ingramremains scepti-cal. "The whole thing has beena debacle," he says. "That'sthe only way to describe it."

[C07 NAA 21apr03]

Noisy, smelly and a plague on our gardens

Incoming: a grey-headed flying fox at the Royal Botanic Gardens.

I HAVE kept quiet duringI this ridiculous bat debate,but not any more.

They are noisy and smellyand are now attacking theFitzroy Gardens as well as theRoyal Botanic Gardens andthe Geelong Botanic Gardens.

Take a real, overall look atwhat is happening. They aredamaging everything, particu-larly the young shoots of thetrees, and frightening theusual feathered inhabitants.

Gone are the days of a quietwalk and a cup of coffee in theFitzroy Gardens accompa-nied by the delightful chirpand song of the birds whichused to predominate.

Help! Serious culling is theonlyway to maintain abalance.Diana Jones, Kew

I ENDORSE PeterCharmicheal's comments onthe bats (April 14), but theyhave taken up residence intheir thou- sands in theFitzroy Gardens.

Each morning this residen-tial area is rudely awakenedby loud banging and pistol-shooting, beginning at 5.25ain the gardens, to supposedlyfrighten away the bats.

Four major hospitals adjoin

SoMany: roosting bats.these gardens. Staff, patientsand hospital visitors used torest in the gardens beforereturning to the hospitals.

The stench — "bat poo"covers paths, seats and lawns— as well as fresh, leaves andtwigs shed from bats is carriedinto these hospitals.

What fumigating proce-dures are in place?

Hundreds of office workersused to eat their lunch in thesegardens. What procedures are inplace to prevent the dis

eased dust motes collected bythese workers from enteringthe air-conditioning plants?

I find it fascinating thatwhenever a "plague" emergesin a city the scientists try totrace its origins back to in-sects (SARS and cock-roaches) or animals (AIDSand monkeys).

I wonder how long it will bebefore someone is infected bythe bats.

Who is more important,people or bats?

These gardens are also usedfor weddings and are a nation-al treasure —but not for muchlonger.Lynette Young, East Melbourne

PETER Charmicheal's infer-ence that Melbourne has apopulation of 250,000 bats isabsurd.

The national population ofgrey-headed flying foxes isabout 250,000 and falling.

After dispersal by the De-partment of Environment andSustainability, Melbourne'sbat population is between3000 and 5000.Lawrence Pope, president,Victorian Animal WelfareAssociation

Sunday Herald Sun, June 1, 2003 21

Mayortakesa swipeat bats

CHRIS TINKLERUrban affairs reporter

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stroying our heritage gar-dens which took years toestablish," Cr So said.

"They are not appeal-ing at all — unless wewant Melbourne to beknown as the bat city.

"What they (gardensstaff) are doing is notworking. It is not effec-tive. They stir them andthen they (the bats) comeback.

"They have become apest. It's no different thanif you have rats or cock-roaches running around.You have to control it.

"People need to under-stand it is a question ofwhether we want our gar-dens or not. The breedingseason is coming in Au-gust, you can imaginehow they will multiply.

"Culling has to be oneoption on the agenda.

"They 've tr ied andfailed to relocate them,therefore we have to findbetter ways. I have nodifficulty with cullingthem."

Cr So ruled out oneproposal of fencing offsections of the gardens toprotect tourists and Mel-burnians from the bats,saying it was not a solu-tion.

But the State Govern-ment yesterday stoodfirm against a cull andsaid the disturbance pro-gram would resume in the

Pests: Bats are takingOver Fitzroy Gardens

ITZROY Gardens isnder attack fromats that are threat-ning to destroy 120f the oldest elmrees in Melbourne.Lord Mayor John So is

alling for an urgent re-iew of the State Govern-ent strategy to control

lying foxes, saying a cullould be necessary.His call comes as it

merged that efforts torive away the Fitzroyardens bat colony —ow 5000-strong androwing — were sus-ended four weeks ago.Melbourne City Councilas advised by the Gov-rnment that the pro-ram was suspended dueo resource issues, Cr Soaid.Council inspectionsave revealed about 200rees in the historic Fitz-oy Gardens — including20 e lms va lued a t10 million — are nownder threat.There were fears of aeritage disaster in one ofelbourne's major tour-

st destinations, whichoasts Captain Cook'sottage among its attrac-

ions, Cr So said.Despite writing to En-

ironment Minister Johnhwaites requesting anrgent meeting on therisis two weeks ago, Cro said he was still wait-

ng for a response.The State Government

aunched a strategy inarch to move 28,000ats out of the Royalotanic Gardens to austom-made sanctuaryn Ivanhoe.But most of the batsave settled in Fitzroyardens, the Domainardens, Geelong's East-rn Gardens and otherarks across the state.

"The bats are out of

ontrol and they are de- next few weeks.

Herald Sun, Tuesday, June 10, 2003

Killer colony on move: bats infesting trees in Fitzroy Gardens yesterday. Picture: BILL McAULEY

City blames state for batsMtcp

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"The gardens are heritagelisted," he said.

"There's about 120 elm treeseach with a value of around$100,000. It's a significant part ofMelbourne's heritage and wewant it protected," he said.

"It's a problem of the StateGovernment's making, so wewould look to them to makeit right."

A government spokeswomanyesterday said the dispersalprogram was scheduled to re-start tomorrow.

She said the Government waseager to work with MelbourneCity Council to protect its parksand gardens.

Bats are dispersed by computergenerated noise simulating shot-

ELBOURNE City Council hasold the State Government tolean up its own mess by riddingublic gardens of fruit bats.Thousands of grey-headed flying

oxes have been driven out of theoyal Botanic Gardens only to findomes in nearby parks.A program to move the batsut of Fitzroy Gardens wastopped last month, leading to aenewed infestation of the de-tructive animals.Flying fox numbers peaked this

ear at an estimated 28,000, withuge colonies destroying valuablerees in the botanic gardens.A plan to move the colonies to aurpose-built centre at Ivanhoeas failed, with the bats movingo other reserves such as theitzroy, Domain and Geelong

otanic gardens. bats

By DANNY BUTTLER,

Melbourne City Council said theDepartment of Sustainability andEnvironment must immediatelyresume the dispersal program be-fore historic trees are destroyed.

Lord Mayor John So saidmoving the grey-headed flying foxfrom one city garden to anotherwas not acceptable.

"You can't shift the problem akilometre up the road and thendrop the ball," he said.

"They dropped the ball in earlyMay. They started the dispersalprogram in the Fitzroy Gardensand then stopped it."

Cr So said he had breakfast inthe gardens yesterday andwas surprised by the number of

roosting. guns and other deterrents.

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lying foxes face second eviction bidictoria's controversial grey-eaded flying foxes are to bevicted from another inner-elbourne park. The Stateovernment yesterdaynnounced the relocation ofhousands of the troublesomeats from the Fitzroy Gardens

n East Melbourne.elbourne's 28,000 grey-eaded flying foxes wereemoved from theRoyalotanic Gardens in Marchfter damaging century-oldrees. It was hoped the batsould move to a decoy bat

amp on the Yarra River in Ivanhoe, but thousands flewnstead to the Fitzroy Gardens. The second relocation,tarting tomorrow, will again use noise to move the bats.epartment of Sustainability and Environment actingirector (flora and fauna) Robert Begg said the Fitzroy ardens were inappropriate for the bats in the long term.

Herald Sun, Monday, June 16, 2003 www.heraldsun.com.au 25

Council driven batty

Compensation bid

for garden damage

Night flight: bats are driven away from the Royal Botanic Gardens. Pictures: MARK SMITH

Making a big din: Kylie Climson helps drive the bats away with noise.

By DANNY BUTTLER,environment reporter

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MELBOURNE CityCouncil will seekcompensation fromthe State Govern-ment for damagecaused by the grey-headed flying fox.

MCC environmentspokeswoman Kate Red-wood said historic elmtrees were being dam-aged by the estimated6000 fruit bats winteringin the gardens.

Cr Redwood said theGovernment had a res-ponsibility to compen-sate the council for dam-age caused by the bats.

"We were getting reallyquite concerned abouttree damage in the Fitz-roy Gardens," she said.

"Council is monitoringthis issue closely and istaking it seriously, butsince we have manage-ment responsibility forthe parks we felt wecould not just sit on ourhands and complain."

Thousands of the fruitbats have been nesting inFitzroy Gardens sincebeing driven out of theRoyal Botanic Gardens

this year. e

Other colonies have re-ently moved to botanicardens in Geelong andarrnambool.Department of Sus-

ainability and Environ-ent acting director of

lora and fauna Robertegg said compensationas not an issue."I couldn't see why

here would be any need.t's a community prob-em — it's the communityhich has to deal with

t," he said."I'd say (there is ) mini-al damage to the Fitzroyardens at this stage."Any compensation bill

ould escalate if the lat-st dispersal attempt isnsuccessful.

DSE last week startednew program to remove

he bats from 20 inner-ity reserves before thereeding season begins

n about eight weeks.If the fruit bats, a pro-

ected species, remain inhe gardens until Augusthe dispersal programill have to stop for sev-

ral months.

"Around the start ofAugust is when you wouldexpect late pregnancy infemales and then movingon to birth in Septemberand October ... we'veonly got a limited oppor-tunity to move them on,"Dr Begg said.

He said there was achance the bats could be-come fixtures in the gar-dens until late in the year.

"It certainly is a possi-bility we've considered,"he said.

Warrnambool CityCouncil is taking a low-key approach to its newlyarrived flying foxes.

Environment officerPaul Gray sa id thecouncil and DSE wereworking together tomonitor the colony ofabout 50 bats.

"It is not known at thisstage how long these an-imals will stay in theWarrnambool area andwhether the bats werepart of the Melbournepopulation or havemoved down from NewSouth Wales because of

the drought," he said.