Tree trimming, Civic Drive Jabiru
Flying foxes near Jabiru Area School, 2015.
West Arnhem Regional Council works officers are currently trimming trees around the outside of Jabiru Area School along Civic Drive and Waterhouse Road. This seasonal tree maintenance is part of a plan to encourage the relocation of the flying fox population that annually roosts near the school.
The actions are approved by Parks Australia through their permit system, and are part of a bat action strategy worked out in 2014 and 2015 between Jabiru Area School, West Arnhem Regional Council, Jabiru Health Clinic, NTFRS, ERA and Parks Australia.
West Arnhem Ground Maintenance is currently undertaking a similar tree trimming program within the school grounds.
One aim of this strategy is to reduce bat habitat in and around the school. In 2015, the number of migratory bats roosting near the school increased significantly over the 2014 population, causing major damage to trees and raising concerns for the health and safety of students and staff.
Like all Australian bats, flying foxes have the potential to carry Australian bat lyssavirus (ABL), a virus similar to rabies which causes a serious and usually fatal disease in humans. ABL can be transmitted from bats to humans when infected bat saliva enters the human body, usually by a bite or scratch, but also by getting bat saliva in the eyes, nose or mouth or onto a pre-existing break in the skin.
Kakadu is home to a number of bat species. The most obvious to Jabiru residents are the Black Flying Fox (Pteropus Alecto) and the Little Red Flying Fox (Pteropus scapulatus). Both are megabats common to the NT which are often seen in trees and flying around town. These megabats play an important role in the ecosystem and biodiversity of the Kakadu region. Their diet consists mainly of fruit, nectar and the pollen of flowers, including eucalypt blossoms, and they pollinate many native species within Kakadu National Park.
PLEASE NOTE: All flying foxes are protected species in the NT.
Once a bat colony is established, significant disturbances to them by humans can breach Australian environmental law. However, Jabiru residents can deter bats from roosting in trees, as long as the bat colony does not have young and provided that actions taken do not harm the bats.
Deterrents such as noise and sprinklers can be effective in this. Residents wishing to retain a bat-free yard are encouraged to look out for ‘scout’ bats (the first of the colony to identify suitable roosting trees) and to deter them frequently until they move on. In Jabiru, trees cannot be trimmed or removed without a permit from Parks Australia. Residents can contact their landlord if they think such action is required.
For further information, see pages 26-27 of the 2016 Welcome to Jabiru Handbook.
