East Cessnock resident Leonie Snell says her neighbourhood is living ‘under siege’ by flying foxes.
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An estimated 10,000 bats have taken up residence in a Crown Land reserve on the corner of Long Street and Old Maitland Road, on and off for the past four years.
“We are under siege by these pests,” Ms Snell said.
“Our windows and doors have to be shut 24/7; we can’t hang our washing out, we can’t let the kids play in the back yard or front and we can’t have a barbie out back.
The bats fly over the town at about 8pm at night, and return around 4.45am.
“It takes them 20 minutes to fly over in the morning, the noise wakes you,” Ms Snell said.
Ms Snell lives with her 88-year-old father Frank and both have asthma, which she says has been exacerbated by “not being able to breathe fresh air”.
“The stench is unreal,” she said.
“It can’t be good for you.”
Ms Snell says it’s time for action to remove the bat colony from the neighbourhood.
“I’m not saying kill them – I understand that we have to coexist with nature,” she said.
“But something needs to be done, far too many people are affected by it.”
Crown Lands will work with Cessnock City Council to prepare a Flying Fox Camp Management Plan, which will depend on funding being available.
The Department of Primary Industries will continue to monitor the situation.
After addressing a rally about the bats in Singleton’s Burdekin Park on Sunday, Member for Hunter Joel Fitzgibbon announced on Tuesday that he will ask the Senate to initiate an inquiry into the flying fox problems in Singleton, Cessnock and other communities in the Hunter and other towns throughout the state.
Mr Fitzgibbon will work with the Minister for the Environment, the Shadow Minister and other interested parties to develop appropriate terms of reference.
He told the House of Representatives that as part of an inquiry, he wants the committee to travel to Hunter to see firsthand the effect of the bat problem.
“As I told the Parliament, the Terms of Reference will need to acknowledge and respect the endangered species status of the bats and their contribution to the maintenance of our biodiversity,” Mr Fitzgibbon said.
“Senators can learn much from the scientists and regulators during hearings in Parliament House.
“But they’ll need to visit affected communities to fully appreciate the other side of the equation.
“Surely in this 21st century we have the wit to both protect our biodiversity while also protecting our local communities.
“I’m hopeful a Senate inquiry can show us the way.”
