This is the story of flying Charles James Fox bats , " wave man " inflatables , and an Australian seaboard town .
The quaint town of Batemans Bay in New South Wales , Australia has been drench with over 100,000 gray-haired - headed flying fox bat . After several months of the Ithiel Town ’s new occupant , the incense locals are now hoping to get disembarrass of their unwelcome Edgar Guest through a AUS$6.2 million ( $ 4.5 million ) activity plan , full of bizarre ideas .
This species of “ megabat ” in enquiry has a 1 - meter ( 3.3 - human foot ) wingspan and can grow up to 28 centimeters ( 11 inch ) in pinnacle , make them the largest bat in Australia .
Reutersreports that the huge number of this bat are cause power outage , affecting the town ’s touristry diligence , and drive down prop prices . On top of this , their loud bitch and tough smell is further adding to their invariant pain in the neck in the Ithiel Town .
New South Wales Environment Minister Mark Speakman toldABC News , " We ’ve had many residents quetch , they feel they ’re prisoner in their own homes , they ca n’t go out , they have to have air conditioning on the whole fourth dimension , windows closed . ”
He added , " [ The lot ] really amount almost to a State Department of emergency . "
Part of the problem dwell in the fact that these bats are a protect species undernumerous conservation acts . The authorisation believe the squash racquet have swarmed to this south - easterly coastal vacation town accompany a heavy flowering of native trees that contain their pet nutrient , nectar .
However , help is on its way . The local government has released aplan - of - action theme . Among their suggestion of how to tackle the job the report include using smoke , radar signal , or haphazardness to stir up the bats , as well as spray tree with an “ fauna deterrent . ” But most novel of all is the use of " waving piece " inflatables to scare off the chiropteran . Yes , barmy waving , inflatable , arm - flailing pipe men .
Bats , be go . Graeme Dawes / Shutterstock
