Cooroy Rag 13 April 2022

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13 April 2022

Colony driving residents batty BY ALEX PURCELL

FLYING foxes roosting behind Cooroy’s aged care facility, Kabara, are causing angst for in-care residents and neighbours. NoosaCare Chief Operating Officer Jamie Oakley said the colony moved in almost two months ago creating an “unbearable amount of noise and smell” on a daily basis, and that there was nothing the business would be able to do about it. “They are right on our fence line and they are horrendously noisy and they stink," Mr Oakley said. "We had Noosa Council come out and they said there is nothing we can do. We can’t move them on. “They’ve obviously been displaced elsewhere, because we have been told they are a black or grey variety that doesn’t move around very much. So they are here to stay.” Mr Oakley said out of 81 residents, only two haven’t complained. “Majority of the residents find them distressing. In fact, the bats were raised at the last resident meeting, with many concerned about the noise and their droppings.” Concerned resident Lisa Lister, who lives nearby on Topaz Street, said that someone has to do something. “Bats have a right to be wherever they choose to nest and that’s probably true to some extent but I’m up at 4am in the morning because they start to squawk, and then they’re noisy all day until they fly off around 6.30pm," Ms Lister said. “They’re a bother to me

and yet I can run away from it during the day to work. The residents of Kabara can’t and the bats live right behind these poor people. “Someone needs to do something. "The two most vulnerable groups of people are our children and our elderly. “I’m for the environment but within reason. The bats don’t belong behind an aged care facility.” Noosa Council Acting Environmental Services Manager Shaun Walsh said flying foxes are an important and protected fauna species in the Noosa Biosphere. “Council's environment team is aware of the Cooroy colony and is in the process of visiting the site," Mr Walsh said. “Council does not currently have a management plan in place for this colony, but we have submitted a grant application to prepare a management plan as part of the recently closed funding round. The State recently funded management plans for colonies at Kin Kin and Wallace Park and Council looks forward to positive consideration by the State Government for this new flying fox colony.” Member for Nicklin Robert Skelton said some residents had raised concerns about the flying fox colony with him and he has been in touch with Noosa Council to see what they could do about it. “Under legislation, councils can manage these sites without the need for a permit from the Environment Department,” Mr Skelton said. A Department of Environment and Science spokesperson said they were

Kabara staff Debbie Nelson and Rob Valanta with residents of the aged care facility beseiged by a colony of flying foxes (below). Pictures: Travis Macfarlane

aware of the flying fox roost behind Kabara and had provided advice to Noosa shire council about ongoing management issues, including information to support the development and implementation of a flying fox roost management plan. “The Noosa shire council has an as-of-right authority to manage flying fox roosts in Urban Flying-Fox Management Areas, with management activities limited to non-lethal methods and carried out according to a strict code of practice. “This allows local governments to make roost management decisions that best meet the needs and expectations of their communities, without needing a permit from the Department.”

“Under its as-of-right authority, Council has a number of options at its disposal, including destroying a roost, driving flying foxes away from a roost, or moving flying foxes within a roost by using water sprinklers, floodlighting, or tree trimming, to create a ‘buffer’ between flying foxes and sensitive sites. “The Council is not compelled to exercise its as-of right-authority, and Noosa Shire Council has not notified DES that it intends to conduct as-of-right authority activities, or has a flying fox roost management plan in place for the Cooroy site.” Continued, page 2

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