SINGLETON’S bat problem is not new.
In fact, it has plagued the town for the past 15 years and left residents and the council equally frustrated at the endless bureaucratic hoops in the way of relocating the protected animals.
So when Upper Hunter MP Michael Johnsen raised the issue in NSW Parliament this week and urged the state and federal governments to remove the red tape – saying the bats should be relocated or eradicated – Singleton folk were pleased but understandably reserved about the outcome.
Mr Johnsen said the latest state government policy offered three ways to control the bats, but if a landholder needed to disperse the colony they also had to meet federal government requirements.
“Let them do it without having both hands tied behind their backs,” Mr Johnsen said.
“Take away the barriers to managing the problem and actually empower communities, don’t just talk about it.”
Singleton residents put up with a permanent bat colony and the thousands of bats that return every year to breed in Burdekin park’s trees.
This year they have also had to cope with an influx of 20,000 bats, which the council suspects have relocated from elsewhere.
Mayor of Singleton, Cr John Martin, said it took more than 20 minutes for the colony to fly away from the park to feed every night, and it was a dramatic parade against the sunset until bat droppings fell on people, or their cars.
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“We have been trying to do something for 15 years and have approached the state and federal governments and haven’t got anywhere.
“I support what Michael Johnsen is trying to do and we want an outcome, but we have been down this road many times before and achieved nothing.”
The council has already spent more than $180,000 on lights and noises to “scare away” the bats, and been forced to move Anzac Day and other services usually held in the park.
source:theherald.com.au
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