ALBURY residents will be breathing a sigh of relief with approval of a council plan to move the 1000-strong colony of bats out of the city’s botanic gardens.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
But it’s a move that won’t come without a fair bit of noise.
Chainsaws, a starter pistol and lawnmowers will be fired up from Monday at dawn and dusk to frighten the bats out of the trees that have been their home since September.
Up to six council staff will be involved in creating the racket aimed at disrupting the bats’ typical roosting behaviour and forcing them south to the Murray River corridor.
Residents and visitors to the garden, concerned about the potential for damage to the gardens’ most valuable assets, may have been wondering why it has taken so long for something to be done.
Council director James Jenkins has explained that nothing could be done while the young bat pups remained on the backs of their mothers and unable to migrate.
But the council and the Office of Environment and Heritage believe the pups are now old enough to move on with their parents.
The noise from the relocation will be a disruption most will welcome.
