TAMWORTH Regional Council has called for calm in the wake of thousands of bats flocking to Bicentennial Park.
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Environment and health manager Ross Briggs said residents should not be deterred by perceived health concerns of the 80,000 endangered flying foxes.
The grey-headed flying foxes were roosting in a Peel River camp along King George V Ave, but in the past fortnight have spread downstream towards Bicentennial Park and the CBD.
Mr Briggs stressed the park was not unsafe and said NSW Health had advised that people couldn’t contract the Hendra virus or lyssavirus from breathing the air or coming into contact with bat faeces.
He said the health risks were the same as a large flock of birds nesting in the area, but he cautioned the public not to touch injured or dead bats. In rare circumstances, being scratched or bitten can be harmful to human health.
But residents hold concerns about the unpleasant stench that comes with the bats.
Barraba resident Aimee Abra contacted The Leader via Facebook to air her concerns about the area, which has also been affected by a large bat presence.
She said there was “no other word but ‘rank’” to describe the foul smell left by the bats.
“The community have to live with this day in and out ... and the smell is getting worse,” Ms Abra said.
Council has received $10,000 from the Office of Environment and Heritage to create a management plan for Tamworth and Barraba – collecting historical data and conducting surveys before engaging in any measures to move the bats on.
Mr Briggs said moving bats was not a simple exercise – council needed approval from state departments, because flying foxes are threatened species.
“To optimise success, any approved plans to nudge or disperse bats to other locations have to be part of a carefully co-ordinated campaign, otherwise it will be like herding cats and we could end up with more flying fox camps in residential areas,” he said.