The killing of flying-foxes

Gwen Parry-Jones. Co-Director, Wambina Flying-fox Education and Research Centre.19th April.

The Killing of the Flying-foxes in the Royal Melbourne Botanic Gardens has turned into a much more sinister senario than first thought.

As Kathy and I have reported, it is reminiscent of Germany in the Thirties, armed Security Guards, Dogs, surveillance by sneaky operators and cars and hreatening conversations, all to people who are completely innocent of any crime, other than wanting the killing of Flying-foxes stopped..

The disgusting injuries of the Easter Sunday Bat, is systemic of the problem. He had both his nose and half his tongue missing, wounds in the back of the head and in his side and both elbows were smashed. The wings were holed and torn.

It is the wing injuries that concern me. He appeared to be a young healthy male before he flew into the Gardens. How could both wings have identical injuries? What injury actually caused death? Were the other injuries inflicted while he still lived? How much agony did he suffer?

The frightening aspect of this whole exercise is that there is no one of any accepted credibility overseeing what is going on in secret in the MBG each night. Surely in Victoria there are laws that govern cruelty to animals, any animal, domestic or wild. Yet the Flying-foxes in the Gardens are being subject to uncontrolled cruelty by order of the State Government, and these animals have been determined as Vulnerable by the Scientific Committee.

The Victorian people should demand to be allowed to view what goes on in the Melbourne Botanic Gardens each night under the auspices of Dr. Moors and the Gardens Board ad with the permission of Sherryl Garbutt, Minister for the Environment. They should investigate the credentials of WildPro the organisation in charge of the killing.

They should demand that the bodies be examined for evidence of cruelty. They should demand, from the Attorney General, details of the costs that the taxpayers have had to pay for all this Security, the cost of the Tidemann Harp Trap, the details of the WildPro account and the actual number of bats killed. It might be interesting to work out cost per bat.

This money could have been spent on better management of the Gardens, with the replanting of Australian native trees instead of the English ones that are past their prime. You would then have native birds who would eat the grubs and there would not be so many "lacey" leaves. The birds may even eradicate the Elm Leaf Beetle which is having a disastrous effect on the Elms. (for which the bats are blamed). The Swan Pond could be cleaned and then maybe you would have some frogs there. The noxious weeds such as Pampas Grass could be removed.

If an animal is cruelly treated, whether domestic or native, then the law steps in. Why is WildPro and the Gardens management immune from such scrutiny?

We the people of Australia DEMAND to know: Under what law can animals be killed or tortured in secret? How many animals are being killed each night? How are they being killed? Who is monitoring the killing to ensure it is being humanely done? Why are the bodies not available for inspection?

This is bigger than " killing a few bats". This is the thin edge of the wedge against the Law, democracy and basic animal rights.

Gwen Parry-Jones