'Frustrated' Aussies offered $3,000 after complaints soar over backyard 'inconvenience'

Payments of up to $3,000 will be offered to some suburban North Queenslanders who are complaining about sharing their space with messy and noisy native wildlife.

At the centre of the uproar are the thousands of flying foxes that now call a Townsville park home. Neighbours are divided over whether they are a “disgusting” disruption to suburban life or a sign of a healthy ecosystem. Some say the dislike of bats is another sign Australians are becoming less tolerant of wildlife in their backyards.

“It’s a tough one,” concedes Councillor Maurie Soars, who helped develop the grant program to reduce anxiety in the community about the presence of flying foxes. “The residents who are severely impacted, you can see their frustration. They don’t want them next to them and that’s understandable.”

Flying fox homes displaced by houses and swimming pools

The flying foxes have called the region home for thousands of years, eating rich native fruits and then excreting the seeds across the landscape to create healthy forests. But with the natural landscape now displaced by houses, fancy cars and pools, those living next to the bats want them out.

With the droppings unable to naturally break down in the soil, the mess is angering some locals. Others have questioned why the bats can’t just be moved on.

Unfortunately for the flying foxes, they’ve been squeezed out of much of their natural habitat, and scaring them away during breeding season would cause many of the youngsters to perish.

Advocacy group Bats QLD has welcomed council’s decision to give grants to residents rather than moving them elsewhere. “You’re also just pushing the supposed problem onto someone else, rather we should be focusing on ways to live with them,” spokesperson Rhiannon Traish-Walker told Yahoo News Australia.

Concern Aussies becoming less tolerant of wildlife

Around 2000 black flying foxes live permanently in the suburb of Kirwin, while the 5000 little red flying foxes currently calling the area home are nomadic and follow food availability.

Local wildlife rescuer Phil England believes part of the negative reaction to their presence is that Australians are becoming increasingly intolerant and have forgotten how to share their space with nature.

“Yes, living with bat poop might be an inconvenience but that’s all it is. Yes it’s a lot of poop, but they’re animals and they need somewhere to be,” he said. “There are far worse things going in at the moment, like in Sudan or Ukraine, you could be living in those countries.”

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As a volunteer with Stonedeaf Wildlife, he’s heard similar complaints about bush-stone curlews calling at night, as well as wallabies and bandicoots “making a mess” in people’s gardens.

“It’s actually a privilege to have wildlife coming around. The issue is that people need to make an attitude adjustment, more empathy is needed,” he said. “Australians are becoming less tolerant and whingy. We've got to the point where people go to Woolworths and if bok choy isn't on the shelf, they're going to reach out on social media and tell everyone about it. They need to just buy something else and get on with their day.”

You can find out more about the $3000 council grants here. Bats QLD is currently fundraising to help care for bats across the state.

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