Bat attack terrifies young boy

A colony of thousands of bats has forced the closure of school grounds at Warwick State High School after a six-year-old boy was bitten last week.

The boy, who is being treated with a rabies vaccine, was bitten on the neck while riding his bike.

Furious residents are demanding the colony be moved. It is located only a stone’s throw from where students play.

Health concerns over bat droppings have forced education authorities to close part of the school oval, shut the agricultural learning centre and shift classes.

The boy’s grandmother said, "Council wants to move the bats next month and hopes they don't return to town."

Southern Downs mayor Peter Blundell made his position extremely clear on the issue, saying, "We're not putting bats’ breeding above human lives. The bats have got to go."

Areas of the school will remain closed until a health risk assessment is completed. This morning the local council applied to the State Government for a special permit to relocate the bat colonies.