EXPRESS The
Wednesday, January 17, 2018
Locally owned and proudly independent
Tom’s $10,000 winning mural Tom Cosic painted this stunning mural in New Zealand recently, winning the first prize in a major art competition. FULL STORY P4.
Bat plan needed By Rebecca Wallis
While a colony of flying foxes is making life miserable for a group of Mareeba residents, a bat expert is calling for a longer term plan to remove the protected species from residential areas once and for all. It’s been eight months
since the bats were last moved on from Basalt Gully but four months ago they returned with a vengeance, with residents reporting the numbers have almost tripled in size. For Nadine Mitchell and Simon ‘Red’ Cockrem whose property backs onto the tree line, the bats’ return has meant more sleep-
less nights, an eye-watering stench, deafening noise morning and night and an inability to spend any time outside due to the faeces and urine of the animals. “It’s so stressful,” said Ms Mitchell. “I can’t explain. We get up, go to work and try and run our businesses but I am exhausted. I am trying
to be a mum to three kids, run a business and on top of that getting up at 4am every morning because of the bats. You can’t sleep through it. And I don’t think there is any consideration for the stress, anxiety and well being of us. I know there is a lot of concern about the well being of the bats, but I think the well
being of us as people is just forgotten. Property prices are going down around here. My parents own this house but they can’t sell it because who wants to buy it with thousands of bats living here?” Ms Mitchell’s property backs onto the home of Georgetown councillor Troy Barnes who last
week instructed tree loppers to come in and start trimming the vegetation. With the help of Mareeba Shire Council workers, the bats are currently being dispersed with noise and smoke before the trees are being heavily cut back leaving the bats no option but to find somewhere else to go.
Although relieved that they will be gone, Ms Mitchell and her partner Mr Cockrem say the procedure is nothing but a ‘band aid effect’ and are calling for more to be done long term to ensure they do not return. “This is all cool, we’ve got the bats away for five cont. P3
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debbie@amarooestate.com.au