we have been having some fabulous displays recently..there is a colony of fruit bats that live across the bridge from us in a small patch of rain forest. at dusk, they rise up in clouds to to swirl across the river towards us.at first you are deceived by the distance into thinking its a flock of starlings but as they twist past the trees above you, you realise it's bloody big bat.
however, this lovely sight is not without its controversy. these bats were recently displaced off land next to the school as they do make a hell of an unhygienic mess with their poo. as the bats are protected, an order had to be gained for their displacement. well, the bats just shifted along a bit and are still right amongst residential maclean, despite being in the forest. they make quite a noise, mess and stink and the locals are complaining
about the impact it is having on their quality of life as they are having to disinfect outside surfaces every day, can't hang out the laundry and the smell is very intrusive. they have been petitioning the local councils to get another bat expert in so the bats can again be moved on.of course, this is not without its problems. for one people ask where will the bats go? there are some established colonies in angourie which appear to be better managed but i have vague memories of there being problems over there too
and then there are very clear voices raised in defence of the bats, arguing that we need to co-exist with the bats, that we are the interlopers on their territories.i am hugely relieved that i can simply enjoy watching the bats whilst the debate plays itself out in the local papers
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