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AN advisory committee has called on the City of Greater Bendigo to appeal to state and federal politicians for help to manage its growing bat colony.
In a list of recommendations, the Rosalind Park Advisory Committee noted that the 12,000 bats in the park ‘appear to be more of a plague than a colony.’
It called on the council to write to Bendigo’s state and federal parliamentary representatives to alert them to the community’s concerns, and to ask how the city might be allowed to manage the situation.
The grey-headed flying fox is a protected species.
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Bendigo mayor Margaret O’Rourke said the city could face fines of up to $7 million if it failed to follow the process of a proper bat management plan to relocate the colony.
“The city is not going to put itself in jeopardy to be fined in any way,” she said.
“The tricky part about it is, the numbers have increased so much that they are very problematic.
“We know they need to be managed.”
A consultant, who also worked on the relocation of bats from the Royal Botanic Gardens in Melbourne, has been appointed to create a bat management plan.
The process is underway, with council expecting to receive a report and a briefing at its conclusion.
“Once we’ve been through that, council will make some decisions about what actions they would like to take,” city presentation and assets director Craig Lloyd said.
The plan will have to be approved, and council will have to apply for any necessary permits before it can take action.
Meanwhile, Mr Lloyd said the city was doing everything it could to avoid damage to the park, and to keep it clean.
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Cleanliness and the cost of cleaning were points highlighted in the Rosalind Park Advisory Committee’s report, which stated that the bats “stink and excrete faeces everywhere.”
“The city is incurring a daily cost in cleaning the park and its intent as a conservatory and recreation area is being eroded,” the committee stated.
The committee noted that the bats were unlikely to leave Rosalind Park until spring.
“And if they don’t, this is a critical time for the trees as they bud and reshoot, making them very vulnerable to lasting damage,” it stated.
“The park’s primary purpose is to maintain both an exotic array of trees, but also to provide a micro climate for people to relax and enjoy.”
The committee suggested a “reasonable alternative” might be to scare the bats away from the south end of the park and try to lessen their impact by restricting them to the fernery.
“The colony now extends to the entire lower park and has started to roost in surrounding street trees and neighbourhoods,” it stated.
Cr O’Rourke said the challenge would be finding a suitable location for the bats’ relocation.
Council has yet to make a decision on whether or not to pen the letters.