PHOTO: Around 100,000 flying foxes have taken up residence along the Peel River in Tamworth. (ABC News: Jennifer Ingall)
The roar of chainsaws and a mulching machine would rarely be music to the ears, but it is replacing the screech of bats that have been haunting residents living near a flying fox colony in northern NSW.
A colony of around 100,000 flying foxes takes up residence each year along the Peel River in Tamworth.
Ruth Stuart has been living under the colony on King George V Avenue for six years.
"I can't use my tank water, I could not use my clothes line and the smell of them, it's nauseating," she said.
Ms Stuart said she was concerned about diseases the flying foxes may carry and said she could not sleep through the night because of the noise they made.
Tamworth Regional Council has become the latest NSW council to try to manage the flying fox problem by removing trees.
In consultation with the local community the council has developed a management plan, and is removing exotic trees and trimming native vegetation.
Ms Stuart was not convinced it would work, but she was desperate for something to change.
"The bats wake me at 3:00am, by 5:00am it is unbearable and this goes on all day until nightfall and then they fly," she explained.
A national issue
Earlier this year a national inquiry into the management of flying foxes recommended clear guidelines be created for local governments dealing with the mammals.
The inquiry considered how the bats could be managed to preserve their contribution to the Australian ecology while minimising their impact on people's quality of life.
With that in mind Tamworth Regional Council has been given approval to cull exotic species and trim native trees in a bid to deal with the bat problem.
Those works involve clearing buffer zones around the worst-affected houses and a local tourist park.
"It's been a long time coming but there are processes we've had to follow in applying for the approval," the council's manager regulatory services Ross Briggs said.
Mr Briggs said there was a short window of opportunity.
Ms Stuart said she was concerned about diseases the flying foxes may carry and said she could not sleep through the night because of the noise they made.
Tamworth Regional Council has become the latest NSW council to try to manage the flying fox problem by removing trees.
In consultation with the local community the council has developed a management plan, and is removing exotic trees and trimming native vegetation.
Ms Stuart was not convinced it would work, but she was desperate for something to change.
"The bats wake me at 3:00am, by 5:00am it is unbearable and this goes on all day until nightfall and then they fly," she explained.
A national issue
Earlier this year a national inquiry into the management of flying foxes recommended clear guidelines be created for local governments dealing with the mammals.
The inquiry considered how the bats could be managed to preserve their contribution to the Australian ecology while minimising their impact on people's quality of life.
With that in mind Tamworth Regional Council has been given approval to cull exotic species and trim native trees in a bid to deal with the bat problem.
Those works involve clearing buffer zones around the worst-affected houses and a local tourist park.
"It's been a long time coming but there are processes we've had to follow in applying for the approval," the council's manager regulatory services Ross Briggs said.
Mr Briggs said there was a short window of opportunity.
"It's flying fox breeding season at the moment and if we get too far into when they are having their young, then we wouldn't have got permission."
Protecting native species
That approval came with conditions, including having a qualified ecologist and a wildlife carer available in case any of the bats were injured, particularly the endangered grey-headed flying fox.
"We're just making sure they're not overly stressed," the NSW Wildlife Information, Rescue and Education Service's Jay Price said.
"I've got rescue equipment to get them out of trees if needs be."
The work is expected to be complete by the end of June.
In the meantime, the council was also offering residents subsidies on equipment to protect their cars and clotheslines from bat droppings.
That approval came with conditions, including having a qualified ecologist and a wildlife carer available in case any of the bats were injured, particularly the endangered grey-headed flying fox.
"We're just making sure they're not overly stressed," the NSW Wildlife Information, Rescue and Education Service's Jay Price said.
"I've got rescue equipment to get them out of trees if needs be."
The work is expected to be complete by the end of June.
In the meantime, the council was also offering residents subsidies on equipment to protect their cars and clotheslines from bat droppings.
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