00:00it's absolutely devastating you know they they bought and they purchased their properties when
00:06there were no bats there now they have a massive colony they can't go out into the yard they can't
00:11bring family or friends over they can't have their grandkids come over and play their houses
00:15are locked up 24 7 because of the smell and the odor and the noise it's absolutely demoralizing
00:20to them um you know from their social connection and and and but but just from a you know a mental
00:26health perspective it's absolutely just it's it's not sustainable long term and something has to be
00:33done to give these people a quality of life and so that the noise is that bad huh and starts really
00:38early in the morning right it starts really early in the morning and it's back again there late at
00:43night and during the day as you know things disrupt the roost um the bats do make extra noise but you
00:49know it's it's their excrement their faeces that they drop all through their yards they can't hang
00:53their their clothes out on the line and it's the federal legislation in particular that makes it
00:58very very difficult for local governments to do anything about it or anything that actually will
01:03deliver a result you have to change the legislation and if you're not going to change the legislation
01:07then buy these people out so they can go and have a quality of life that um that is equal to at least
01:13the bats because at the moment the legislation treats the bats with more importance than people
01:17so what has council done to try to encourage the flying foxes to go elsewhere
01:21look when we've spent a significant amount of money on vegetation management and also putting
01:27sprinklers up into the trees i mean basically we just should have supplied shampoo and given them a
01:31shower these things are acknowledged by everyone that they don't work um you you have to take
01:36significant action to to move these on and deter them coming back but you need a change in legislation
01:42to do that or if you're not going to change the legislation then compensate these people for the
01:47problem that you've created and so how many people are we talking about how many homes look the i don't
01:52know the exact number but i'd say it's in in you know above 20 you know these people that bought there
01:57in the 80s when it was just a beautiful gully they could walk down there with their family and their
02:00friends and and share quality time now no one wants to go there it's just it's you know it's it's
02:07unattractive it's difficult for even our staff to maintain it properly um it's a problem that has to be
02:13resolved and people have to matter more than these bats even if the legislation allowed you what is
02:19is it possible to get rid of them well mate it's possible to get rid of anything i think you know
02:25we want to do it in a manner that allows you know the the lifestyle and and the um you know the quality
02:31of life to be delivered back to the residents but also move these on in in a humane way you know
02:37while there's trees there while there's foliage and while you can't do anything to actually upset the
02:42roost they're never ever going to move you have to create an environment that is not um comfortable
02:47for them so they go and find another place to live because at the moment the only people that are
02:52suffering are the residents and so if the legislation like federal and state legislation doesn't allow
02:57you to get rid of the bats you're saying the feds and states should up should put up the money
03:01to help these locals move well it's their legislation that's created the problem and made it difficult to
03:07actually deal with this issue if you create the problem you should fund the solution
03:11yeah and are you getting any positive signs from this the other governments at this stage
03:16look we've had i've had a number of conversations particularly with the state government and and
03:20they're understanding and they are looking for options so it's it is positive
03:26um but it's a big problem and it's not only a problem for gimpy it occurs right around our country
03:31um and if if these people had moved next to a bat colony i'd have no sympathy at all just like if someone
03:37moves next to a highway and you know whinges about the traffic noise but these people bought when
03:43there were no bats there and the bats have moved in and it's the legislation and the you know the
03:48the desire to actually treat the bats as more important than people that is the problem
03:54the enemy's right to be in the right arm is the only way to walk away so thank you to your point so
03:59let me see you guys there's no way to the right arm and let me know if you're looking for it
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