SUTHERLAND Shire Council will spend $415,000 reducing vegetation around the Kareela flying fox camp after increased numbers forced staff at nearby Sylvanvale to evacuate the playground numerous times.
Sylvanvale chief executive Alan Bish said flying fox numbers had escalated over the past few weeks and now presented a serious health risk to the children.
Sylvanvale's Mikarie Child Care Centre provides care for more than 150 children aged up to 6 and includes children with disabilities.
"Large numbers of bats are positioning themselves in trees extremely close to the centre, as well as flying low over our outdoor play area," Mr Bish said.
"The bats appear to be very unsettled, constantly moving about, squabbling with one another and making lots of noise. This is having a very negative impact on Mikarie Child Care Centre.
"There have been many instances where the centre has been forced to evacuate our outdoor play area due to large numbers of bats flying in this space.
"There has been a notable increase in bat excrement in our outdoor play area.
"Around two weeks ago one of our staff members narrowly avoided being hit by a low-flying bat. If they had not been so agile they could have been seriously injured. We are now in a position of damage control."
One parent, who did not want to be named, described the playground in the morning as "like a scene from a Hitchcock movie" with bats circling low over the school.
‘‘The children have had to have outside play cancelled approximately five times in the last week due to bats,’’ she said.
The $415,000 allocated by the council this week includes the $250,000 the council already committed towards the problem plus an additional $165,000.
The council is now working on stage two of its plan of management for the colony, which involves removing vegetation to create a buffer zone.
The council will write to the Environment Minister requesting urgent approval to increase the vegetation buffer to 60 percent of the site, up from the 20 percent zone cleared earlier this year.
The council also wrote to the NSW Office of Environment and Heritage asking to start its dispersal plan.
Sutherland Shire mayor Kent Johns said the Kareela flying fox population had become more active during the day and was negatively affecting Sylvanvale, ASPECT, Bates Drive Schools and the community.
‘‘This is unacceptable. Council cannot allow children to be placed at risk by flying foxes,’’ Cr Johns said.
‘‘I am proposing that the funding of these works be shared between the state government, given the flying foxes’ movement to Kareela was a direct result of the state government constructing the desalination plant.’’
The plant was commissioned under the previous state government.
Irrespective of the government’s response, the council will allocate immediate funds to tackle the problem.
Do you think the state government should assist with removing the flying foxes camp at Kareela?
