Wildlife Queensland has welcomed the announcement by Andrew McNamara, Minister for Climate Change, Sustainability and Innovation, that the Queensland Government will stop issuing permits for shooting flying foxes after 1 September 2008 on the grounds that shooting flying foxes is inhumane.
'Shooting doesn't work. The days of "shoot them up" are over. It is time to start acting sustainably and in the best interests of all,' said Simon Baltais, spokesperson for Wildlife Queensland.
'The noise from a shotgun has more effect than killing flying foxes to protect fruit crops. This can be done with scare guns.'
'This is a good decision for welfare reasons and for ecological reasons,' said Dr Carol Booth, well-known flying fox conservationist.
Shooting permits are ineffective
The numbers of flying foxes permitted
to be taken under damage mitigation
permits has fallen to an all-time low in
2007-2008.
- Little Red – 30 per month or an
average of 1 per night
- Black – 30 per month or an average
of 1 per night
- Greyheaded – 20 per month or an
average of 0.7 per night
- Spectacled – 15 per month or an
average of 0.5 per night.
For practical reasons, growers only shoot
at dusk and early evening. The animals
feed all night, so the efficacy of shooting
as means of protecting crops is doubtful.
'It is an open and shut case that shooting flying foxes is cruel. Let’s move beyond this now to better protection for a really significant native animal', she added.
Mr Baltais drew attention to the low number of growers still applying for damage mitigation permits (DMPs) to shoot flying foxes as evidence that netting is now the common way for fruit trees to be protected.
'There is a very small group – 30 to 40 this year – of growers that continue to use DMPs to shoot flying foxes to protect crops,' said Simon Baltais. 'I fully understand the frustration growers feel when their crops are attacked by flying foxes. But it does nothing to protect their crops in a meaningful way,' said Simon Baltais.
The fruit industry, including an estimated 80% of lychee and rambutan growers, has substantially moved to netting as a better protection option.
Wildlife Queensland also welcomed the recognition by the Minister of the important part blossom- and fruit-eating flying foxes play as plant pollinators of trees. ‘Flying foxes are important to the health of our forest,' said Simon Baltais.
Fruiting season of several types fruit tree coincides with the flying fox breeding season. Consequently, pregnant and lactating female flying foxes are killed. Young flying foxes carried by their mother are either killed with their mother or starve to death. Older juveniles remaining in the roosts also starve when their mother is shot.
WPSQ in action
Wildlife Queensland has campaigned since 2005 for better protection of flying foxes from fruit farmers who consider that the animals threaten their livelihood and use cruel practices such as electric grids. Wildlife Queensland continues to encourage farmers to adapt standard fencing practices to reduce deaths of flying foxes and other wildlife that have been caught on barbed wire.
For more information on Wildlife Queensland's activities, call us on +61 7 3221 0194 or send us an email.
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