tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-53574941550995246092024-03-14T14:10:23.529+11:00Talking BatsA blog about bats in Australia. What they are, where they are, what a lousy deal they get from large sections of the community and why they deserve more respect than they get.Darkfliershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17726846472696245034noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5357494155099524609.post-34403026884727590752011-05-02T18:53:00.014+10:002011-05-02T19:01:08.570+10:00Update: 1st May 2011<div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Here’s an update on a few of the ongoing issues that are affecting flying-foxes in NSW. It’s been a pretty grim few months and there’s not much good news.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></div><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> </span> <br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Shooting of flying-foxes for crop protection</b></span></div><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> </span> <br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">NSW is the only state that still allows flying-foxes to be shot as a method of crop protection. It’s a practice that an <span class="msoins0"><a href="http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/threatenedspecies/Flyingfoxlicrev.htm">independent panel</a></span>, commissioned by the NSW Labor government, found to be “unacceptable legally and ethically” because of the duration and extent of <a href="http://www.hsi.org.au/editor/assets/Actions/Report_for_orc_%20shoot_2007.pdf">suffering caused</a> to both the animals that are shot (many of which will not die immediately) and young flying foxes that are orphaned by the loss of their mother and will subsequently die of dehydration or starvation (a fact acknowledged by the NSW government department responsible for the issuing of licenses to shoot flying-foxes). </span></div><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> </span> <br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Prior to the March NSW state elections, both <a href="http://www.catherinecusack.com.au/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=488:libs-announce-plan-to-help-farmers-protect-orchards&catid=1:media-releases&Itemid=200011">Liberal</a> and <a href="http://www.nswalp.com/media/news/protection-for-threatened,-native-flying-foxes/">Labor</a> parties committed $5m+ of support to orchardists in the Sydney and Central Coast regions of NSW towards the installation of full exclusion netting which offers far better protection against flying-foxes (and birds, and hail) than shooting can. This was the first glimmer of hope that perhaps we might actually see a reduction in the rate of shooting, and the cruelty associated with it. </span></div><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> </span> <br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">But post-election, things took a significant turn for the worse...... </span></div><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> </span> <br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>NSW Politics Part 1</b></span></div><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> </span> <br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">In the lead up to the NSW state elections, the Liberals Environment Spokesperson, Catherine Cusack, had demonstrated a strong degree of support on the matter of shooting and there was some hope amongst conservation groups that she could bring some real passion to the Environment portfolio should the Liberals, as expected, be elected.</span></div><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> </span> <br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">So it came as quite a blow when Cusack was omitted from the new cabinet and the Environment portfolio was handed to Robyn Parker, a junior minister with no apparent environment experience. </span></div><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> </span> <br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Worse was to come. The NSW Dept of Environment, Climate Change and Water (DECCW) was disbanded and its functions transferred into the Department of Premier and Cabinet. NSW Premier <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2011/04/04/3181273.htm">O’Farrell claimed</a> that this demonstrated an elevation in the status of environmental issues within his cabinet but few conservationists believe this and instead see it as a clear sign that the O’Farrell government has little commitment towards positive environmental outcomes. DECCW is now known as the Office of Environment and Heritage (OEH) and the former director of DECCW is now the head of OEH. This is clearly a demotion even though effectively she still holds the same job. And the Minister of Environment, Robyn Parker, seems to be little more than a figurehead as the OEH departmental structure reports not to her but to Barry O’Farrell. </span></div><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> </span> <br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>NSW Politics Part 2</b></span></div><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> </span> <br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Within weeks of the election, the new Minister for Primary Industries, Katrina Hodgkinson was describing flying-foxes as pests and vermin. This was in response to calls from farmers in the NSW Central-West region for the new government to make it easier for farmers to acquire licenses allowing them to shoot flying-foxes. </span></div><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> </span> <br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">NSW Farmers appear to have taken full advantage of Hodgkinson’s inexperience in the ministry and, in an apparent attempt to appease the increasingly strident (and unverifiable) claims of damage created by flying-foxes, her Department issued a <a href="http://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0007/385450/20110413-Med-Rel-Katrina-Hodgkinson-bats.pdf">press release</a> indicating that she would pursue having the grey-headed flying-fox removed from the threatened species list. It would appear that her expectation was that this would make it easier to allow the farmers to shoot larger numbers of flying-foxes whilst ignoring the reality that the species is in decline and increasing the rate of shooting would inevitably hasten that decline. Hodgkinson’s media release on the issue contains some significant errors which suggests that she was either poorly briefed or was more focused on appeasing NSW Farmers than she was on getting her facts right. </span></div><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> </span> <br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">It’s worth noting that threatened species listings don’t even fall within Hodgkinson’s remit. They fall within Robyn Parker’s Environment portfolio and to the department now known as OEH that reports in to Barry O’Farrell. In a further sign that Primary Industries interests have greater precedence than environmental concerns, neither Barry O’Farrell nor Robyn Parker made a single public statement on the matter, even with respect to those aspects of it that fall within their responsibilities and not Katrina Hodgkinson’s.</span></div><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> </span> <br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">After the initial flurry of media, Hodgkinson has been silent in the last couple of weeks and it’s not at all clear what this means. Hopefully she’s now been adequately briefed on the issue and understands that her initial comments were poorly considered and that she needs to be more wary of being misled by <a href="http://www.centralwesterndaily.com.au/news/local/news/general/farmers-stick-to-their-guns-on-bats/2135773.aspx">vocal minorities in NSW Farmers</a>. But of course, it’s entirely possible that behind the scenes, she’s pursuing the environmentally destructive policies that she’s already announced. In an attempt to get some clarity, peak welfare and conservation groups are urgently seeking meetings with Environment Minister Parker but have yet to have had any success in that regards. </span></div><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> </span> <br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney dispersal</b></span></div><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> </span> <br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The project to evict grey-headed flying-foxes from Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney is now entering a very complex phase. The period from 1st May to the end of July marks the only portion of the year when the Botanic Gardens Trust can actively attempt to remove the bats from the Gardens because it is acknowledged by experts as the time of year when any action against the bats will have the least impact on their breeding cycle. And it’s important to be aware that this does not equate to NO impact, it just represents the LEAST impact. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">BGT appear to believe that 3 months gives them plenty of time to complete the project. In fact they claim that the project should achieve its goals within 2 to 4 weeks of the commencement of the dispersal. These claims are exceptionally optimistic and it's hard to understand what grounds they have for making such bold predictions. </span></div><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> </span> <br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">A cursory review of previous dispersals (including the one in Melbourne in 2003/04 that took six months to move the animals and which BGT claim, somewhat disingenuously, to be a success and a precedent for the Sydney action) indicates that three months is not, in fact, a vast window of opportunity. Rather, it is a period which is very likely to be insufficient for the project to achieve its stated objectives of removing the bats from the Gardens and (more importantly) moving them to alternate and acceptable habitat. It’s finding them a new and suitable roost site, not evicting them from the Gardens, that’s likely to take time. </span></div><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> </span> <br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">It would seem reasonable to suggest that the BGT would want to get the dispersal underway as soon as possible but all the signs are that BGT are some weeks away from being able to actually start the dispersal. </span></div><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> </span> <br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Why is this? It's impossible to be 100% certain because BGT are playing their cards close to their chests but it seems likely that the delay is related to the "conditions of approval".</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">Both state and federal government approvals place a number of complex conditions on the project and it would appear that the BGT still has a lot of work to do to before they can claim to have met the conditions of approval and start the actual dispersal.</span></div><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> </span> <br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">One of the most complex series of conditions relates to the use of radio tracking collars. We'll go into this issue a bit more in future but the bottom line is that fitting radio collars to a large number of bats is a very complex, expensive and time consuming process. It was difficulties with this aspect of the program that caused BGT to postpone the dispersal project in 2010. </span></div><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">BGT appear to be having just as many problems this year and we believe that they will, if they haven’t already, apply to the federal government for a variation of the conditions of approval so as to make it easier for them to proceed with the project. Conservation groups have already voiced, to the federal Minister of Environment Tony Burke, their opposition to any variation of conditions that would allow the BGT to break their previous commitments. Inexplicably, his department allowed a variation of conditions, also relating to radio collars, last year which compromised the objectives of the scientific program and conservation groups are keen to not see the conditions be weakened further by more variations. </span></div><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> </span> <br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">As a side issue to this, a grey-headed flying-fox with severe, life threatening throat injuries recently came into care with a Sydney wildlife care organisation<span class="msoins0">., </span>The injuries were caused by the animal losing weight after a BGT radio tracking collar was fitted around its neck. The weight loss allowed the collar to move around and<span class="msoins0"> </span>chafe so badly that the animal<span class="msoins0">’</span>s jawbone was exposed. </span></div><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> </span> <br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Dr Tim Entwisle, who until very recently has overseen the dispersal project in his position of Executive Director of the Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust has now moved overseas to take on a role at Kew Gardens in the UK. His replacement is <a href="http://www.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/welcome_to_bgt/feature_stories/New_Executive_Director">Professor David Mabberley</a> who will take on the role in August. Prof Mabberley appears to have broader experience in the field of biodiversity than Dr Entwisle so it will be interesting to see how he responds to the issue of the flying-foxes. </span></div><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> </span> <br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Other Issues</b></span></div><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> </span> <br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: small;">A large number of bats in Ku-Ring-Gai flying-fox reserve colony (in the lower north shore Sydney suburb of Gordon) have apparently moved to a new location within the reserve that is increasing the level of conflict with some residents. Even in isolation, this is a concern but if many of the bats evicted from RBG relocate to the Gordon camp (as predicted by BGT), then the conflict could become a real problem.<span style="line-height: 115%;"> </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">A small colony of grey-headed flying-foxes in the Sydney northern-beaches suburb of Avalon is under threat as Pittwater Council intend to trim back vegetation in the camp to an extent that it is unlikely to sustain even a small sized camp. The trimming is in response to the calls by a number of residents who find the bats to be unwanted neighbours. The action will almost certainly be sanctioned by the NSW Office of Environment & Heritage. The Federal Department of Environment will not step in as the camp, numbering only 300 or so animals, does not come into the category of what they consider to be a “significant population”. The current camp footprint is so small that it seems likely that any trimming will result in the animals moving on from the current site (which may of course be the unspoken intent of the action). As always, it’s impossible to predict whether the site they choose as a new roost will bring them into even more conflict with humans.</span></span></div>Darkfliershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17726846472696245034noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5357494155099524609.post-77630284174719643342011-02-21T17:39:00.001+11:002011-03-01T16:11:10.024+11:00Welcome to an extinction<div class="MsoNormal">For Julia Gillard's party, the passing of <a href="http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/historic-day-as-flying-foxes-get-marching-orders/story-e6frg6nf-1226003978896">Luke Hartsuyker's EPBC (Health and Safety) Amendment Bill 2010</a> in the Lower House of the Australian Parliament is a bit of an embarrassment because it demonstrates that the Opposition Liberal Party can get enough support to over-ride the wishes of the Australian Federal government. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">But for the grey-headed flying-fox, it's just another step on a gradual but accelerating journey towards what some ecologists consider to be inevitable extinction. If the species is a barometer for the effectiveness of environmental legislation, and the will of state and federal governments to make bold decisions to protect Australia's biodiversity, then it's fair to say that many of our iconic species are, quite simply, doomed. <br />
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In 2001, the grey-headed flying-fox was listed as vulnerable under the <a href="http://www.environment.gov.au/epbc/">Commonwealth EPBC Act</a>. Listing is meant to provide sufficient protection to the species being listed that the decline in population can be arrested and, hopefully, reversed. But it hasn't really worked out like that for the grey-headed flying-fox. A recovery plan, detailing the measures necessary to affect a recovery of the species, is supposed to be adopted within 6 years of the species being listed. That deadline passed 4 years ago and yet we still have no recovery plan in place (or even a draft that stakeholders can agree on). <br />
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The federal government allows <span id="goog_1528433176"></span><a href="http://www.environment.gov.au/epbc/.../pubs/spectacled-flying-fox.pdf%20">grey-headed flying-foxes to be shot as a method of crop protection</a><span id="goog_1528433177"></span>. Even the most sceptical anti-environmentalist would have to agree that shooting a threatened species is unlikely to be the best way to aid its recovery. Currently, only NSW actually issues licenses to shoot flying-foxes; Queensland banned the practice in 2009 as it was proven to be cruel and inhumane. Despite calls by both farmers and environmentalists for the NSW Government to provide support for netting, which negates the need for shooting, to be installed at farms that are at risk from flying-foxes, Premier Keneally and Environment Minister Sartor have kept their heads down and allowed the shooting, and the decline of the grey-headed flying-fox, to continue unabated. The NSW Liberals have not made their intentions clear in relation to the shooting of flying foxes but few environmentalists in NSW hold out much hope for a bright new way of thinking under an O'Farrell government. <br />
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It's not just politicians who are assisting the grey-headed flying-fox on its way to oblivion. Extreme climatic events play their parts quite effectively too. In February 2011 at least 1,300 grey-headed flying-foxes <a href="http://www.manningrivertimes.com.au/news/local/news/general/heat-proves-a-killer-for-brush-flying-foxes/2070761.aspx">died in the Wingham Brush</a> colony near Taree as a consequence of the prolonged heat and low humidity, conditions which caused fatal heat stress in a large proportion of this year’s juvenile animals. Some <a href="http://www.theage.com.au/national/native-animals-just-fell-out-of-trees-during-heatwave-20100113-m6zq.html">3,000 died under the same circumstances in the Yarra Bend colony</a> in Melbourne last year. Some may seek to diminish the signifiance of these mass mortalities as just being a "natural event" but the reality is that extreme climatic events are happening more regularly and the consequences of them are ever more serious for flying-foxes.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal">It's now widely accepted that the flying-foxes natural food sources have been badly compromised by excessive rainfall in their seasonal foraging grounds in the last two years. Flying-foxes are nectar and blossom eaters but when the rain is heavy, the nectar gets washed away and the bats have to find alternate food sources or they quite simply starve (or look to commercial orchards as an alternate food source and risk being shot). Many wildlife rescue groups report that the condition of animals coming into their care in the last year or so has been exceptionally poor with many animals 20% below minimum healthy weight. <br />
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Habitat loss has forced many flying-foxes to seek shelter in urban environments as these often provide access to more reliable, year around food sources than could be found in rural environments. This adaptation to urban environments brings the flying-foxes into conflict with people and peaceful co-existence is the exception rather than the rule. The Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney is the most well known instance of “not in my backyard” sentiment towards flying-foxes and, in May 2010, then Federal Environment Minister Garrett <a href="http://www.aqob.com.au/details.php?p_id=663&seo=A_moving_tale&listid=443&menuid=category_id_40&submenuid=categorylist_id_443">approved a proposal to disperse the flying-foxes from the Gardens</a>. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The approval of the project was challenged in the Federal Court on the grounds that the Minister failed to consider matters that he was obliged to consider. The <a href="http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/bats-given-eviction-notice-after-legal-bid-failed/story-e6freuy9-1226007737691">challenge was dismissed</a> and it would appear that the eviction will go ahead starting in May. The dispersal represents another government sanctioned action which seems to be at odds with the obligation to protect and recover the species. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">In fact more than being a government sanctioned action, it was an action <u>proposed</u> by the state government agency in charge of administering threatened species legislation in NSW. The Botanic Gardens Trust is part of the NSW Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water (DECCW). This relationship allows the department that proposed the action to also approve it. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Which brings us to Luke Hartsuyker’s Bill. The colony of flying-foxes in Maclean has been a source of conflict for many years and Mr Hartsuyker’s Bill seeks to add an amendment to the EPBC Act to exclude the Commonwealth from any decisions relating to the dispersal of flying-foxes from the Maclean area. The reality is that the majority of politicians that voted in favour of the Bill were probably more interested in embarrassing Gillard than they were in supporting Hartsuyker. And, as a result, one of the most significant pieces of Commonwealth environmental legislation has been undermined for cheap political point scoring. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">If the Bill passes the Upper House and the Commonwealth are excluded from the decision making process, it will be left to NSW DECCW (the department that both applied for and approved the dispersal of flying-foxes from Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney) to determine whether a dispersal at Maclean can proceed. The state legislation is far weaker than the Commonwealth EPBC Act and approval by NSW DECCW of a dispersal of flying-foxes from Maclean is almost a given. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Looking forward, we can almost certainly see both federal and state politicians making a real and tangible contribution to the decline and inevitable loss of the grey-headed flying-fox. You don’t have to care about flying-foxes to be worried by this trend. If our governments have an inclination to write-off one species, it would be foolish to think that they wouldn’t be inclined to do the same for any other species.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">[A previous version of this appeared on <a href="http://www.crikey.com/">Crikey</a>]<br />
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</div>Darkfliershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17726846472696245034noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5357494155099524609.post-14988646817999535002011-01-03T12:55:00.001+11:002011-01-04T09:25:02.447+11:00On flying-foxes: Homo troglodytus 2010<div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves/> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:DoNotPromoteQF/> <w:LidThemeOther>EN-AU</w:LidThemeOther> <w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/> <w:DontVertAlignCellWithSp/> <w:DontBreakConstrainedForcedTables/> <w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/> <w:Word11KerningPairs/> <w:CachedColBalance/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> <m:mathPr> <m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/> <m:brkBin m:val="before"/> <m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/> <m:smallFrac m:val="off"/> <m:dispDef/> <m:lMargin m:val="0"/> <m:rMargin m:val="0"/> <m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/> <m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/> <m:intLim m:val="subSup"/> <m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/> </m:mathPr></w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
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</style> <![endif]--> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">Who wins the award for publicly uttering the most erroneous, exaggerated and egregious statements about flying-foxes in 2010?</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">The nominees have much in common. All male, most of them politicians, they each propagate the fallacy that humans cannot live safely or harmoniously with flying-foxes. None demonstrates respect for evidence – the evidence that most people live peaceably with flying-foxes and that flying-foxes represent a low health risk.<span> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">The competition for the <i>Homo troglodytus</i> award is fierce. Our judges have been arguing over the nominations for most of the day. Here now are the top 10 contenders.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">PS. For those of you feeling defensive about this vilification of troglodytes, we sympathise with your concern and advise that the term is used for its original Greek meaning of ‘one who creeps into holes’ – because that’s what we think these nominees should do. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoTitle" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-GB">The top 10 contenders </span></span></b></div><div class="MsoTitle" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><span lang="EN-GB">(in alphabetical order)</span></b></span></div><h1 style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-GB">Ben Callcott, Mayor of Charters Towers</span></span></h1><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">Mr Callcott has been part of a triumvirate of politicians (with Bob Katter and Shane Knuth, both featured below) campaigning against a flying-fox camp in town that has been persecuted in unsuccessful dispersal attempts for about a decade. </span></div><ul><li><i><span lang="EN-GB">This has been going on for a long time. We've had a gutful of it and we are deadset sick of the fact that these bats can take over our habitat after all man is the top of the food-chain and hopefully it remains that…<span> </span>I don't see the RSPCA as a credible body. They are basically city people who don't really understand animals. I've lived with horses, cattle and other animals all my life and I'll tell you that city people don't understand animals at all. They are just soft hearts and everything deserves a place, like when are they are going to legislate against the killing of rats?</span></i></li>
</ul><div class="quotes" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; line-height: 150%; text-align: right;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span lang="EN-GB">Northern Miner, 19 November 2010</span></span></div><ul><li><i><span lang="EN-GB">In previous years, some workers had been taken to hospital to have the insects [alleged mites from flying-foxes] removed, he said. ''The mites adhere to their skin like ticks,'' he said. ''If you attend the park you run the risk of these mites adhering to you. They're an insect-type thing with legs so they're fairly mobile bloodsuckers.'' Cr Callcott said the mites were living on the bats and residents were fearful they could spread disease.</span></i></li>
</ul><div class="quotes" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: right;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span lang="EN-GB">Townsville Bulletin, 23 November 2010</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN-GB">Judges’ comment:</span></b><span lang="EN-GB"> Mr Callcott tries hard to portray Charters Towers residents as misunderstood victims of flying-foxes, and city folk as ignorant bleeding hearts. But he apparently is ignorant (or uncaring) of the fact that Brisbane and other cities host numerous flying-fox camps, and that there is nothing special about Charters Towers’ situation or their flying-foxes. People in hundreds of other locations manage to live peaceably with flying-foxes. See <a href="http://talkingbats.blogspot.com/2010/12/concocted-bat-maladies-promoted-by.html">here<span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% yellow;"></span></a> for our previous blog covering some of the absurd claims about the health impacts of Charters Towers’ flying-foxes.<span> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><h1 style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-GB">John Cobb, Federal MP (National Party)</span></span></h1><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">Speaking to Federal Parliament in support of a Bill to disperse flying-foxes from Maclean (introduced by MP Luke Hartsuyker, see below), Mr Cobb made grossly exaggerated claims about the arrival of flying-foxes in Orange. </span></div><ul><li><i><span lang="EN-GB">This year, for the first time in living memory, <span class="hi">flying foxes</span> invaded Orange. This is an area with very serious apple orchards and fruit orchards to a large extent. The <span class="hi">flying foxes</span> inundated it, and all the state government did was allow some people to destroy up to 25. There were 25 million of the damn things around. I have nothing against <span class="hi">flying foxes</span> personally, but I do have something against allowing an animal to threaten livelihoods and schools.</span></i></li>
</ul><div class="quotes" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: right;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span lang="EN-GB">Federal House of Representatives Hansard, 25 November 2010 </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN-GB">Judges’ comment:</span></b><span lang="EN-GB"> According to state and federal environment departments, the total population of grey-headed flying-foxes (the species that was in Orange) is no more than about 400,000. Even by standards of political hyperbole, Mr Cobb's claim of 25 million flying-foxes around Orange is very silly. With counts showing there were only 5,000 flying-foxes in Orange, he was out by a factor of 5,000. He was also wrong about flying-foxes being new to Orange – they were recorded there in the 1970s.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><h1 style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-GB">John Davis, Mayor of Orange</span></span></h1><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">Mr Davis claimed that the few thousand grey-headed flying-foxes roosting in Orange were causing great harm in town.</span></div><ul><li><i><span lang="EN-GB">Mr Davis said yesterday’s site inspection showed him firsthand the devastation flying foxes caused to the trees they occupied. “The people that have these bats in their yards must be the most patient people in Orange,” he said. “Enough is enough now, they’ve now become prisoners in their own homes and the manure that is covering their yards, houses and cars is a health hazard.”</span></i></li>
</ul><div class="quotes" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: right;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span lang="EN-GB">Central Western Daily, 30 March 2010</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN-GB">Judges’ comment:</span></b><span lang="EN-GB"> Flying-foxes roost in hundreds of urban sites in northern and eastern Australia without residents complaining. The colony in Orange was small, hung around for only a few weeks, and was unlikely to have been much of a bother for residents. (We heard that some of them actually enjoyed having bats in town, but it wasn’t something you said publicly.) And, as faecal matter goes, flying-fox faeces is really rather benign, consisting of rapidly digested fruit, nectar and pollen.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><h1 style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-GB">Luke Hartsuyker, Federal MP (National Party)</span></span></h1><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">Mr Hartsuyker has run a campaign to rid Maclean of flying-foxes by introducing a Bill into Federal Parliament to approve their dispersal. </span></div><ul><li><i><span lang="EN-GB">There has been an invasion of thousands upon thousands of bats around the high school … These flying foxes defecate over the school, its students and its teachers. The smell is revolting and the colony can be extremely noisy. They pose a risk of hendra virus and lyssavirus … And let us not forget the residents living close by. Their homes have become virtually uninhabitable because of the stench and the problems these flying foxes cause and of course a similar situation is occurring at the nearby TAFE.</span></i></li>
</ul><div class="quotes" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: right;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span lang="EN-GB">Federal House of Representatives Hansard, 15 November 2010 </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN-GB">Judges’ comment</span></b><span lang="EN-GB">: Mr Hartsuyker is performing political stunts rather than proposing anything practical or helpful. There has already been a decade of unsuccessful dispersals at Maclean. Flying-foxes return each year because of good food resources during the time of birthing and raising young. It’s because of previous dispersals that many more Maclean residents now have flying-foxes roosting close to their houses. The health impacts have been greatly exaggerated. Lyssavirus can only be transmitted via a bite or scratch. Hendra virus is caught from horses, not flying-foxes. Other schools and communities on the east coast of Australia don’t have a problem sharing their environment with a flying-fox camp. The main difference in Maclean is that there are politicians who would rather make a name for themselves than make a difference. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><h1 style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-GB">Bob Katter, Federal MP (Independent)</span></span></h1><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">Mr Katter had multiple rants about flying-foxes in 2010, most of them wildly exaggerating the health risks of flying-foxes, and the rest not making any sense. </span></div><ul><li><i><span lang="EN-GB">We've got a terrible problem with deadly flying foxes. They're going to kill many more people than taipan snakes do in Australia.</span></i></li>
</ul><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: right;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span lang="EN-GB">7.30 Report, 22 August 2010</span></span><span lang="EN-GB"> </span></div><ul><li><i><span lang="EN-GB">We have blood on our hands. We created the conditions that bring flying foxes in plague proportions that allow disease to spread quickly throughout their colonies and entire crops to be destroyed.</span></i></li>
</ul><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: right;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span lang="EN-GB">North Queensland Register, 11 January 2010</span></span><span lang="EN-GB"> </span></div><ul><li><i><span lang="EN-GB">They’re dangerous and they’re in plague proportions. … Flying foxes are taking over towns in Kennedy…. Any true conservationist would also call for such a cull if they understood the dynamics of animal populations and put aside emotive arguments.</span></i></li>
</ul><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: right;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span lang="EN-GB">Agmates 28 May 2010</span></span><span lang="EN-GB"> </span></div><ul><li><i><span lang="EN-GB">They're not going to go just after her [Kate Jones, Queensland’s Environment Minister] to force her to get rid of the bats, they are going to point out to the minister who is not giving us this permit, that by not giving us this permit, you have placed our lives in jeopardy. And she will be getting a letter from me before the end of this week clearly indicating to her that if anyone dies, then we are prosecuting her for criminal negligence.</span></i></li>
</ul><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: right;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span lang="EN-GB">Northern Miner, 30 November 2010</span></span><span lang="EN-GB"> </span></div><ul><li><i><span lang="EN-GB">The 'gan-greeny' point of view is that we've invaded their habitat. Tell the nearest greenie that Charters Towers or Mareeba, prior to settlement was a bio-ecology where gecko lizard would have to take a cut lunch. Joe Moro, a farm leader from Mareeba, said there were farmers whose production was down 30-50 per cent as a result of bats. It's just another nail in the coffin of agriculture in Australia a country which within five years will not be able to feed itself.</span></i></li>
</ul><div class="quotes" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: right;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span lang="EN-GB">Northern Miner, 26 November 2010</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN-GB">Judges’ comment:</span></b><span lang="EN-GB"> Mr Katter is weirdly obsessed by flying-foxes. Dangerous? Mr Katter must jump at his own shadow if he genuinely considers flying-foxes dangerous. Government health authorities say there are no health risks from living near a bat camp as long as the animals are not handled (and they make no exceptions for North Queensland). Mr Katter’s claim both that flying-foxes are in plague proportions and that greenies don’t understand population dynamics is embarrassing for him, for in the real world it’s not possible for flying-foxes to form plagues as they only have one young a year. We are also entertained by Mr Katter’s labelling of conservationists as “emotive”: anyone claiming that we have “blood on our hands” and suggesting that flying-foxes are deadlier than taipans might be letting his emotions run away with him. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><h1 style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-GB">Shane Knuth, Qld MP (LNP)</span></span></h1><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">Like Mr Katter, Mr Knuth has had a lot of negative things to say about flying-foxes this year. He has vowed that if the LNP wins government in Queensland they will rid Charters Towers of flying-foxes for good. </span></div><ul><li><i><span lang="EN-GB">We have to put up with the screeching, the parasites, and the excretion and be subjected to serious viruses they carry. … The minister needs to explain to nursing mums, the elderly and the residents on why they have refused [a permit for helicopter dispersal] while we have tens of thousands of bats living amongst us.</span></i></li>
</ul><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: right;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span lang="EN-GB">Townsville Bulletin, 16 November 2010</span></span><span lang="EN-GB"> </span></div><ul><li><i><span lang="EN-GB">If everything else fails, helicopters, you name it, we [a future LNP Government] will cull the bats to ensure we protect the safety of every individual in Charters Towers… When it comes to moving flying foxes, I will guarantee that I will be support the Charters Towers residents, not party politics, we will remove the bats.</span></i></li>
</ul><div class="quotes" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: right;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span lang="EN-GB">Northern Miner, 30 November 2010</span></span><span lang="EN-GB"> </span></div><ul><li><i><span lang="EN-GB">The sick, the frail and the elderly have had enough of this. We have nursing mums who have hundreds of bats living above their roofs and homes. Would any Minister or Government member who has a child like to have their child living amongst this filth</span>?</i></li>
</ul><div class="quotes" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: right;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span lang="EN-GB">ABC, 16 July 2010</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN-GB">Judges’ comment:</span></b><span lang="EN-GB"> Mr Knuth’s political priority is to rid Charters Towers of flying-foxes, and he will conjure up any disease or parasite to justify this. Flying-foxes do carry a virus that can make people sick (one person has succumbed), but even nursing mothers need to be bitten or scratched to become infected. Just having bats in the general vicinity won’t do it. Mr Knuth is obviously employing the well-known political tactic of trying to whip up fear in voters against a perceived common enemy that only he can vanquish, </span><span lang="EN-GB">if they'll vote him and his party into power</span><span lang="EN-GB">. There have been multiple unsuccessful dispersal attempts in Charters Towers. Mr Knuth’s promise to kill the bats in Charters Towers if dispersals don’t work is a sad sign of things to come. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><h1 style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-GB">Kurt Kristoffersen (candidate for Clarence Valley Council in 2008 election)</span></span></h1><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">Among numerous outlandish claims, Mr Kristoffersen claimed that flying-foxes are an invasive species from Thailand. </span></div><ul><li><i><span lang="EN-GB">The National Parks and Wildlife Service adopted the flying fox in 1980 as a native animal… This has always been debatable as the first recorded sightings of the flying rat were in Thailand in 1912 by Professor Anderson…. It is believed that they migrated to the north of Western Australia and down the west coast and across to South Australia the Barossa and into NSW then QLD. Chromosomal studies by the Carnegie Museum of rodents and bats confirm the Thailand fruit bats and those found in Australia and New Guinea are of the same genetic banding. … <span> </span>Studies have revealed they migrate similar to rats and behave in the social habits of raping their offspring, decimating their food source and transporting diseases from one next or “colony” to the next. A new colony is formed when a group of females get sick of being raped and find another temporary roost for themselves and their offspring …</span></i></li>
</ul><div class="quotes" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: right;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span lang="EN-GB">Letter to Editor, Clarence Valley Review, 2 June 2010</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN-GB">Judges’ comment: </span></b><span lang="EN-GB">It’s hard to know where to start with these claims as they are all such utter nonsense. Flying-foxes were well-known by Aborigines and recorded by Europeans when they first arrived. The NSW Government has always acknowledged flying-foxes as native animals but did not afford them the same protection under environment laws as other native animals until 1980. Sex is a mutual affair for flying-foxes, with females choosing the males they mate with. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><h1 style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-GB">Rob Messenger, Qld MP (Independent)</span></span></h1><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">Mr Messenger has called on both major Queensland political parties “to commit to a public health policy of destroying flying fox colonies in urban areas if they were found to be carrying deadly diseases.” </span></div><ul><li><i><span lang="EN-GB">… Mr Messenger said the animals should be eradicated or moved away from urban or populated areas immediately. “You only have to start shooting a few and they’ll go … We’ve got to show some common sense with this menace.”</span></i></li>
</ul><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: right;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span lang="EN-GB">Bundaberg Mail, 11 December 2010</span></span><span lang="EN-GB"> </span></div><ul><li><i><span lang="EN-GB">Flying foxes shouldn’t be allowed to roost in urban environments anyway, but if they are then they must be tested for those deadly diseases. If the flying foxes are found not to have any deadly viruses, then of course there is no need to move the creatures, but if they are found to be carrying diseases then peoples lives are at risk.</span></i></li>
</ul><div class="quotes" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: right;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span lang="EN-GB">Media release, 21 May 2010</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN-GB">Judges’ comment:</span></b><span lang="EN-GB"> At the risk of being repetitive… Mr Messenger ignores for his political convenience government health advice that living near a flying-fox colony is not a health risk. Shooting bats in urban areas would be far more dangerous than living with bats. Common sense is conspicuously absent from Mr Messenger’s proposal, as it is both unnecessary and impractical (there is no way of testing bats for lyssavirus without killing them all and colonies are not discreet populations). </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><h1 style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-GB">John Molony, Mt Isa Mayor</span></span></h1><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">Mr Molony was agitating for a permit from the state environment department to disperse a temporary camp of little red flying-foxes from Mt Isa. </span></div><ul><li><i><span lang="EN-GB">We've had several complaints from residents about the bats, but we can't move them on until we get the okay from DERM. I personally think they're a pest and DERM needs to cull some of these things because all they're doing is terrorising people and dropping ticks and lice everywhere.</span></i></li>
</ul><div class="quotes" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: right;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span lang="EN-GB">North West Star, 8 October 2010</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN-GB">Judges’ comment:</span></b><span lang="EN-GB"> Mr Molony, who runs a clothing shop, is another politician who thinks he knows more than health authorities and biologists about flying-foxes. Ticks? – try dogs; lice? – try children; terror? – try humans shooting flying-foxes. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><h1 style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-GB">Malcolm Weatherup, journalist, Townsville Bulletin</span></span></h1><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">The Townsville Bulletin has been an enthusiastic participant in the campaign by Charters Towers politicians to get rid of the town’s flying-fox colony. Here is the contribution from one journalist (aka The Magpie). </span></div><ul><li><i><span lang="EN-GB">Listen, mate, what about State Government requirements of State funerals for all <span class="il">flying</span> <span class="il">foxes</span>, accompanied by an honour guard of bats from Premier Blight's own private belfry? What about the mandated 21-rifle salute from a troop of Batburgh's second class citizens (those with two legs and no wings) as the tiny casket is lowered into the tastefully mounded pile of hendra-laced bat guano.<br />
<span> </span>But of course, the rifles will be pointed at the ground so no stray shot might hit any of the first class citizens hanging in the surrounding trees? … Such nonsense aside, this situation is sheer lunacy of the emperor's-got-no-clothes variety. Ben Callcott could barely disguise his frustration at the PC posing from this distant government so far from reality.<br />
<span> </span>Even the simperings of the relevant parrot, Sustainability Minister Kate Jones, only added to the sheer battiness of it all. After languidly drifting into town from afar, Minister Jones urged people not to touch dead bats (and to presumably dodge them as they fall dead on to footpaths and backyards).<br />
<span> </span>So correct The Magpie if he is wrong, but the situation seems to be 'we know it is possible these creatures have a deadly virus, and they're dying in increasing numbers of something, but no, you can't take measures to rid the town of them'.<br />
<span> </span>Except to say 'shoo'. Add a 't' and you have The Magpie's obvious solution.</span></i></li>
</ul><div class="quotes" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: right;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span lang="EN-GB">Townsville Bulletin, 6 March 2010</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN-GB">Judges’ comment:</span></b><span lang="EN-GB"> Does this really pass for journalism in North Queensland? Magpies are known as smart birds – a pity Mr Weatherup doesn’t aspire to this. The flying-foxes in Charters Towers were dying of starvation not disease. Hendra is something that people only catch from horses and guano is not just any old bat-shit – it’s the stuff found in caves where microbats roost. Mr Weatherup appears to subscribe to the “if it moves, shoot it” school of wildlife management.<span> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><h1 style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-GB">And the winner is…. </span></span></h1><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">You’ll undoubtedly agree that each of these candidates qualifies for troglodyte status. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">The judges have noted, “All nominees have excelled in spreading fear and loathing and avoiding evidence and common sense. For mostly political purposes, they have sought to create a fearsome monster out of a small native mammal, </span><span lang="EN-GB">ignoring the experience of most Australians living with flying-foxes that it is no big deal</span><span lang="EN-GB">.”<span> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">But our judges have determined there is one standout nominee, head and shoulders above the rest of the field for the sheer volume, ferocity and wild inaccuracy of his statements on flying-foxes. Bob Katter is crowned <i>Homo troglodytus 2010</i>. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">So, please creep down a hole, Mr Katter, and stay there a long time.<span> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">We are not alone in recognising Mr Katter for his contribution to nonsense about flying-foxes: "Dispatches from the Edge" recognised him in their "<a href="http://dispatchesfromtheedgeblog.wordpress.com/2010/12/27/dispatches-annual-awards/">Are you serious?</a>"<span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% yellow;"></span> round up for 2010</span><span class="MsoCommentReference"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 8pt; line-height: 115%;"><a class="msocomanchor" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=5357494155099524609#_msocom_1" id="_anchor_1" name="_msoanchor_1"></a><span></span></span></span><span lang="EN-GB"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">As Crikey put it "I'm beginning to think that perhaps <em><span style="font-style: normal;">Katter's</span></em><i> </i>hat might be lined with tin<i> </i><em><span style="font-style: normal;">foil</span></em><em>"</em></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">(More on Katter’s bat wackiness in a future post).</span></div>Darkfliershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17726846472696245034noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5357494155099524609.post-47742515730461147282010-12-18T18:49:00.007+11:002010-12-18T18:52:43.391+11:00Why you shouldn’t be scared of flying-foxes<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Some politicians have been calling for the eviction of flying-foxes from urban areas (including by lethal force) on the ground that they are deadly threats to humans (see <a href="http://www.news-mail.com.au/story/2010/12/11/mp-takes-aim-at-sick-bats-hendra-virus-bundaberg/">here</a> <span style="color: blue;"></span>and <a href="http://www.townsvillebulletin.com.au/article/2010/11/29/188141_news.html">here</a> for examples).</span><br />
<br />
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">But are these politicians really concerned for our health? Does the risk from flying-foxes justify their alarmist statements? Will we be safer if flying-foxes are evicted or killed?</span><br />
<br />
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">To provide some perspective on these questions, we have compiled the stats about what does kill Australians and ranked various causes of death (see Table 1 below). They show that flying-foxes are less deadly than horses, cattle, bees, hay bales, windmills, air conditioners, car jacks and more than a dozen better known killers. If those politicians really cared about your health, they’d be trying to evict fast food outlets and fast cars, not the fast flappers. </span><br />
<br />
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Those who oppose the eviction of flying-foxes do not take the threat of disease lightly. Many are wildlife carers, researchers or conservationists who have very close contact with flying-foxes. If anyone is at risk, they are. But they know that the risk of catching disease from bats is extremely low, that measures can be taken to keep safe and that there are many other things much worthier of worry. After all, just one Australian is known to have become ill and died due to an encounter with a flying-fox (in 1998, from Australian bat lyssavirus) – one of more than 2.5 million Australian deaths since 1990.</span><br />
<br />
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Flying-foxes are safer than virtually everything else you encounter in an urban environment (just don’t touch them)! See <a href="http://www.health.qld.gov.au/ph/documents/cdb/livingwithflyingfoxes.pdf">here</a>, <a href="http://www.dpi.qld.gov.au/27_16070.htm">here</a> <span style="color: blue;"></span>and <a href="http://talkingbats.blogspot.com/2010/12/concocted-bat-maladies-promoted-by.html">here</a><span style="color: #3366ff;"></span> for more information. </span><br />
<br />
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">If you find a flying-fox down low in a tree or on the ground, call your local wildlife rescue group (see <a href="http://www.tolgabathospital.org/links_batrescue.htm#">here</a> for contacts). </span><br />
<br />
<b style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="EN-GB">Table 1: What kills Australians: various causes of death ranked from most to least deadly</span></span></b><br />
<b style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="EN-GB"> </span></span></b> <br />
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoNormalTable" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><tbody>
<tr> <td style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% rgb(166, 166, 166); border: 1pt solid windowtext; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 119pt;" valign="top" width="159"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Cause of death</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span></div></td> <td style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% rgb(166, 166, 166); border-color: windowtext windowtext windowtext -moz-use-text-color; border-style: solid solid solid none; border-width: 1pt 1pt 1pt medium; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 155.75pt;" valign="top" width="208"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Average deaths per year</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span></div></td> </tr>
<tr> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color windowtext windowtext; border-style: none solid solid; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 119pt;" valign="top" width="159"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Cardiovascular diseases</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span></div></td> <td rowspan="2" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% red; border-color: -moz-use-text-color windowtext windowtext -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt medium; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 155.75pt;" width="208"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">>10,000</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span></div></td> </tr>
<tr> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color windowtext windowtext; border-style: none solid solid; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 119pt;" valign="top" width="159"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Cancer </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span></div></td> </tr>
<tr> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color windowtext windowtext; border-style: none solid solid; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 119pt;" valign="top" width="159"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Diabetes</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span></div></td> <td rowspan="4" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% rgb(255, 102, 0); border-color: -moz-use-text-color windowtext windowtext -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt medium; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 155.75pt;" width="208"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">1,001 – 10,000</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span></div></td> </tr>
<tr> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color windowtext windowtext; border-style: none solid solid; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 119pt;" valign="top" width="159"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Suicide</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span></div></td> </tr>
<tr> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color windowtext windowtext; border-style: none solid solid; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 119pt;" valign="top" width="159"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Vehicle crashes</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span></div></td> </tr>
<tr> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color windowtext windowtext; border-style: none solid solid; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 119pt;" valign="top" width="159"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Infectious diseases</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span></div></td> </tr>
<tr> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color windowtext windowtext; border-style: none solid solid; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 119pt;" valign="top" width="159"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Accidental poisoning</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span></div></td> <td rowspan="5" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% rgb(255, 153, 0); border-color: -moz-use-text-color windowtext windowtext -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt medium; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 155.75pt;" width="208"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">101-1,000</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span></div></td> </tr>
<tr> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color windowtext windowtext; border-style: none solid solid; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 119pt;" valign="top" width="159"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Firearms </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span></div></td> </tr>
<tr> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color windowtext windowtext; border-style: none solid solid; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 119pt;" valign="top" width="159"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Homicide</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span></div></td> </tr>
<tr> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color windowtext windowtext; border-style: none solid solid; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 119pt;" valign="top" width="159"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Drowning</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span></div></td> </tr>
<tr> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color windowtext windowtext; border-style: none solid solid; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 119pt;" valign="top" width="159"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Being a pedestrian</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span></div></td> </tr>
<tr> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color windowtext windowtext; border-style: none solid solid; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 119pt;" valign="top" width="159"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Boat accident</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span></div></td> <td rowspan="3" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% yellow; border-color: -moz-use-text-color windowtext windowtext -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt medium; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 155.75pt;" width="208"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">11-100</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span></div></td> </tr>
<tr> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color windowtext windowtext; border-style: none solid solid; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 119pt;" valign="top" width="159"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Choking on food </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span></div></td> </tr>
<tr> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color windowtext windowtext; border-style: none solid solid; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 119pt;" valign="top" width="159"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Horses</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="height: 12.2pt;"> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color windowtext windowtext; border-style: none solid solid; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt; height: 12.2pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 119pt;" valign="top" width="159"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Car jacks </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span></div></td> <td rowspan="9" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% rgb(204, 255, 102); border-color: -moz-use-text-color windowtext windowtext -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt medium; height: 12.2pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 155.75pt;" width="208"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">1-10</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span></div></td> </tr>
<tr> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color windowtext windowtext; border-style: none solid solid; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 119pt;" valign="top" width="159"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Tree felling </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span></div></td> </tr>
<tr> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color windowtext windowtext; border-style: none solid solid; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 119pt;" valign="top" width="159"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Snakes </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span></div></td> </tr>
<tr> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color windowtext windowtext; border-style: none solid solid; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 119pt;" valign="top" width="159"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Cattle </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span></div></td> </tr>
<tr> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color windowtext windowtext; border-style: none solid solid; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 119pt;" valign="top" width="159"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Bees & wasps </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span></div></td> </tr>
<tr> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color windowtext windowtext; border-style: none solid solid; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 119pt;" valign="top" width="159"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Lightning</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span></div></td> </tr>
<tr> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color windowtext windowtext; border-style: none solid solid; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 119pt;" valign="top" width="159"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Dogs </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="height: 12pt;"> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color windowtext windowtext; border-style: none solid solid; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt; height: 12pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 119pt;" valign="top" width="159"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Sharks </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="height: 17.3pt;"> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color windowtext windowtext; border-style: none solid solid; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt; height: 17.3pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 119pt;" valign="top" width="159"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Windmills </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span></div></td> </tr>
<tr> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color windowtext windowtext; border-style: none solid solid; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 119pt;" valign="top" width="159"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Crocodiles</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span></div></td> <td rowspan="5" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% rgb(102, 255, 204); border-color: -moz-use-text-color windowtext windowtext -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt medium; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 155.75pt;" width="208"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><1</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span></div></td> </tr>
<tr> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color windowtext windowtext; border-style: none solid solid; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 119pt;" valign="top" width="159"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Hay bales</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="height: 13.9pt;"> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color windowtext windowtext; border-style: none solid solid; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt; height: 13.9pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 119pt;" valign="top" width="159"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Air conditioners</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="height: 13.4pt;"> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color windowtext windowtext; border-style: none solid solid; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt; height: 13.4pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 119pt;" valign="top" width="159"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Spa baths </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="height: 12.8pt;"> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color windowtext windowtext; border-style: none solid solid; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt; height: 12.8pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 119pt;" valign="top" width="159"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Flying-foxes</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span></div></td> </tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">For statistics and sources, see the endnotes.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><span lang="EN-GB">Endnotes:</span></span></b><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">Statistics for various causes of death in Australia (since 1990) and references.</span><br />
<br />
<span lang="EN-GB">Data could not be obtained, or was not obtained, for all years from 1990-2009 for most causes of death. However, sufficient was obtained to calculate an approximate average number of deaths/year and the rankings for Table 1 (the years for which data were obtained are listed). In a few instances where there was lack of recent data, statistics from 1980-1990 have been used. </span><br />
<br />
<span lang="EN-GB">Major sources of data (for which endnotes below are abbreviated) are:</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">(1) Australian Bureau of Statistics, Causes of Death, Australia (annual data available for the period 1990-2009 on the ABS website);</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">(2) Australian Bureau of Statistics, Year Book Australia, (annual data available for 1990-2009 on the ABS website). See <a href="http://www.abs.gov.au/">http://www.abs.gov.au/</a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">(3) National Coroners Information Service report into Deaths Involving Animals, May 2006. See <a href="http://www.ncis.org.au/web_pages/Broadsheet2_Animal%20related.pdf">www.ncis.org.au/web_pages/Broadsheet2_Animal%20related.pdf</a>.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">(4) National Coroners Information System. 2007. A sample of consumer product related deaths. Deaths reported from 01/07/2000–30/06/2007. See <a href="http://www.ncis.org.au/Product%20related%20fatalities%20national%20version.pdf">www.ncis.org.au/Product%20related%20fatalities%20national%20version.pdf</a>.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">(5) Pollock K, Fragar L, Morton C. 2007. Traumatic deaths in Australian agriculture – The facts. Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation and Australian Centre for Agricultural Health and Safety</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">(6) Franklin R, Mitchell R, Driscoll T, Fragar L. 2000. Farm-related fatalities in Australia, 1989-1992. Moree: ACAHS, NOHSC & RIRDC</span></div><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN-GB">Cardiovascular diseases</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">Approx. average deaths/year: 47,000</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">Time period: 1990-1992, 1996, 2000-2008</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">Information source/s: </span><br />
<span lang="EN-GB">- ABS. Causes of Death, Australia, various years.</span><br />
<span lang="EN-GB">- ABS. Year Book Australia, various years. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
<b><span lang="EN-GB">Cancer </span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">Approx. average deaths/year: 36,000</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">Time period: 1990-1993, 1998-2005, 2007-2008 </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">Information source/s:</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">- ABS. Causes of Death, Australia, various years.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">- ABS. Year Book Australia, various years.</span><span class="MsoCommentReference"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 8pt;"><a class="msocomanchor" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=5357494155099524609&postID=4774251573046114728#_msocom_4" id="_anchor_4" name="_msoanchor_4"></a></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN-GB">Diabetes</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">Approx. average deaths/year: 3000</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">Time period: 1990-1993, 1998-2003, 2007-2008 </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">Information source/s:</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">- ABS. Causes of Death, Australia, various years-</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">- ABS. Year Book Australia, various years. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN-GB">Suicide</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">Approx. average deaths/year: 2260</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">Time period: 1990-93, 1997-2008 </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">Information source/s:</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">- ABS. Causes of Death, Australia, various years</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">- Harrison JE, Pointer S, Elnour AA. 2009. A review of suicide statistics in Australia. Injury research and statistics series no. 49. Adelaide: AIHW</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN-GB">Vehicle crashes</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">Approx. average deaths/year: 1890</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">Time period: 1990-2001, 2007-2008</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">Information source/s:</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">- ABS. Year Book Australia,<i> </i>various years. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN-GB">Infectious diseases</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">Approx. average deaths/year: 1700</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">Time period: 1998-2001, 2006-2008 </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">Information source/s:</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">- ABS. Causes of Death, Australia, various years.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">- ABS. Year Book Australia, various years. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN-GB">Accidental poisoning</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">Approx. average deaths/year: 740</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">Time period: 2000, 2002-2004, 2007-2008 </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">Information source/s:</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">- ABS. Year Book Australia,<i> </i>various years. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN-GB">Firearms (deliberate & accidental)</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">Approx. average deaths/year: 460</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">Time period: 1990-2002 </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">Information source/s:</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">- Kreisfeld R. 2005. Firearm deaths and hospitalisations in Australia. See <a href="http://www.nisu.flinders.edu.au/briefs/firearm_deaths_2005.php">http://www.nisu.flinders.edu.au/briefs/firearm_deaths_2005.php</a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN-GB">Homicide</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">Approx. average deaths/year: 310</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">Time period: 1990-2006 </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">Information source/s:</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">- Australian Institute of Criminology, National Homicide Monitoring Program 1989-90 to 2005-06. See <a href="http://www.abcdiamond.com/australia/murder-crime-in-australia/">http://www.abcdiamond.com/australia/murder-crime-in-australia/</a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN-GB">Drowning</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">Approx. average deaths/year: 280</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">Time period: 1992, 1998-2007 </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">Information source/s:</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">- ABS. Year Book Australia, various years. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">- Franklin R, Scarr J, Pearn H. 2010. Reducing drowning deaths: the continued challenge of immersion fatalities in Australia. Medical Journal of Australia 192(3): 123-26 </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN-GB">Pedestrians struck by vehicles</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">Approx. average deaths/year: 300</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">Time period: 1997-2002, 2004-05, 2007-08 </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">Information source/s:</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">- ABS. Year Book Australia, various years. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN-GB">Boat accidents</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">Approx. average deaths/year: 40</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">Time period: 1999-2004 </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">Information source/s:</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">- O’Connor P. 2008. National Assessment of Boating Fatalities in Australia 1999-2004. National Marine Safety Committee Inc</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN-GB">Choking on food </span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">Approx. average deaths/year: 37</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">Time period: 1999, 2002-2005, 2007 </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">Information source/s:</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">- ABS. Causes of Death, Australia, various years.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">- Henley G, Harrison JE. 2009. Injury deaths, Australia 2004–05. Injury research and statistics series no 51. Adelaide: AIHW</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">- Henley G, Kreisfeld K, Harrison JE. 2007. Injury deaths, Australia 2003–04. Injury research and statistics series no. 31. Adelaide: AIHW</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">- Kreisfeld R, Newson R, Harrison J. 2004. Injury deaths, Australia 2002. Injury Research and Statistics Series Number 23. Adelaide: AIHW</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">- Kreisfeld R, Harrison J. 2005. Injury deaths, Australia, 1999. Injury Research and Statistics Series Number 24. Adelaide: AIHW</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN-GB">Horses</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">Approx. average deaths/year: 15</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">Time period: 1979-1998, 2000-2006 </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">Information source/s:</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">- NCIS. 2006. Report into deaths involving animals </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">- Cripps RA. 2000. Horse-related injury in Australia. Adelaide: AIHW. See <a href="http://www.nisu.flinders.edu.au/pubs/bulletin24/bulletin24.html">http://www.nisu.flinders.edu.au/pubs/bulletin24/bulletin24.html</a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN-GB">Car jacks </span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">Approx. average deaths/year: 4.1</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">Time period: 2000-2007 </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">Information source/s:</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">- NCIS. 2007. A sample of consumer product related deaths. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB"><b>Tree felling </b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">Approx. average deaths/year: 3.4</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">Time period: 1989-1992, 2001-2004 </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">Information source/s:</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">- Pollock et al. 2007. Traumatic deaths in Australian agriculture. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">- Franklin et al. 2000. Farm-related fatalities in Australia, 1989-1992.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB"><b>Snakes</b> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">Approx. average deaths/year: 3</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">Time period: 1979-2006</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">Information source/s:</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">- NCIS. 2006. Report into deaths involving animals</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">- McGain F, Rofe G, Sutherland S, Harrison J, Hawdon G, Winkel K. 2003. Snakebite Mortality in Australia. University of Melbourne. See <a href="http://www.nchirt.qut.edu.au/consultancy/amdig/workshops/documents/2003WinkelSlides.pdf">www.nchirt.qut.edu.au/consultancy/amdig/workshops/documents/2003WinkelSlides.pdf</a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN-GB">Cattle </span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">Approx. average deaths/year: 2.2</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">Time period: 1989-1992, 2000-2006 </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">Information source/s:</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">- NCIS. 2006. Report into deaths involving animals</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">- Pollock K, Fragar L, Morton C. 2007. Traumatic deaths in Australian agriculture – The facts. Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation and Australian Centre for Agricultural Health and Safety</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN-GB">Bees & wasps </span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">Approx. average deaths/year: 1.9</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">Time period: 1979-1998, 2000-2006 </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">Information source/s:</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">- NCIS. 2006. Report into deaths involving animals</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">- McGain F, Winkel K. 2000. Bee and wasp sting related fatalities in Australia. International Society on Toxinology 13th World Congress on Animal Plant and Microbial Toxins. See <a href="http://www.avru.org/files/imported/compendium/gallery/DR0000052.pdf">http://www.avru.org/files/imported/compendium/gallery/DR0000052.pdf</a> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN-GB">Lightning</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">Approx. average deaths/year: 1.7</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">Time period: 1980-1990, 2001-2004 </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">Information source/s:</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">- Pointer S, Harrison J. 2007. Electrical injury and death. National Injury Surveillance Unit. See <a href="http://www.nisu.flinders.edu.au/pubs/reports/2007/injcat99.pdf">www.nisu.flinders.edu.au/pubs/reports/2007/injcat99.pdf</a> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB"><b>Dogs</b> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">Approx. average deaths/year: 1.6</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">Time period: 1990-2006 </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">Information source/s:</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">- NCIS. 2006. Report into deaths involving animals.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">- Kreisfeld R, Bordeaux S. 1998. Injury resulting from dog bites. See <a href="http://www.nisu.flinders.edu.au/pubs/shortreps/canines.html#dyear%20">http://www.nisu.flinders.edu.au/pubs/shortreps/canines.html#dyear%20</a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">- Kreisfeld R, Harrison J. 2005. Dog-related injuries. See <a href="http://www.nisu.flinders.edu.au/pubs/reports/2005/injcat75.php">http://www.nisu.flinders.edu.au/pubs/reports/2005/injcat75.php</a> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN-GB">Sharks </span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">Approx. average deaths/year: 1.2</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">Time period: 1990-2010 </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">Information source/s:</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">- Australian Shark Attack File. See <a href="http://www.taronga.org.au/animals-conservation/conservation-science/australian-shark-attack-file/australian-shark-attack-file">http://www.taronga.org.au/animals-conservation/conservation-science/australian-shark-attack-file/australian-shark-attack-file</a> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">- Stevens, J. D. and Paxton, J. R. (1992). Shark attack: but who's the victim? Australian Natural History, 24(3): 46-53</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN-GB">Windmills </span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">Approx. average deaths/year: 1</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">Time period: 1989-1992, 2001-2004 </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">Information source/s:</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">- Pollock et al. 2007. Traumatic deaths in Australian agriculture. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">- Franklin et al. 2000. Farm-related fatalities in Australia, 1989-1992.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN-GB">Crocodiles</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">Approx. average deaths/year: 0.9</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">Time period: 1980-1990, 2000-2009 </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">Information source/s:</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">- NCIS. 2006. Report into deaths involving animals</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">- Sydney Morning Herald 2009. See <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/national/recent-crocodile-deaths-in-australia-20090411-a3b2.html">http://www.smh.com.au/national/recent-crocodile-deaths-in-australia-20090411-a3b2.html</a> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN-GB">Hay bales</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">Approx. average deaths/year: 0.9</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">Time period: 1989-1992, 2001-2004 </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">Information source/s:</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">- Pollock et al. 2007. Traumatic deaths in Australian agriculture. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">- Franklin et al. 2000. Farm-related fatalities in Australia, 1989-1992.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN-GB">Air conditioners</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">Approx. average deaths/year: 0.4</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">Time period: 2000-2007 </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">Information source/s:</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">- NCIS. 2007. A sample of consumer product related deaths.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; margin-left: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN-GB">Spa baths </span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">Approx. average deaths/year: 0.3</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">Time period: 2000-2007 </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">Information source/s:</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">- NCIS. 2007. A sample of consumer product related deaths.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN-GB">Flying-foxes</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">Approx. average deaths/year: 0.05</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">Time period: 1990-2009 (1 death in 1998)</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">Information source/s:</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">- Hanna J, Carney I, Smith G, et al. 2000. Australian bat lyssavirus infection: a second human case, with a long incubation period. Medical Journal of Australia 172:597-9. See <a href="http://www.mja.com.au/public/issues/172_12_190600/hanna/hanna.html#refbody11">http://www.mja.com.au/public/issues/172_12_190600/hanna/hanna.html#refbody11</a>. The only other case was due to an encounter with a microbat </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">Australian bat lyssavirus. See <a href="http://www.csiro.au/science/Australian-bat-lyssavirus.html">http://www.csiro.au/science/Australian-bat-lyssavirus.html</a></span></div>Darkfliershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17726846472696245034noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5357494155099524609.post-23094970233603356592010-12-11T18:27:00.002+11:002010-12-11T18:28:12.885+11:00Concocted bat maladies promoted by The Townsville Bulletin<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">How many ways can those fearsome flying-foxes inflict illness, injury or death on their hapless, helpless Homo sapien victims in Charters Towers? At least three viral diseases, a fungal disease, various blood-sucking insects, faecal contamination and getting in the way of the emergency helicopter is the tally to date based on stories published in the Townsville Bulletin. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Their list of bat maladies and health risks has been growing rapidly, with four new ones added in the past month: (A) histoplasmosis, (B) blood-sucking mites, (C) Melaka virus and (D) lyssavirus spread by the water supply. But there is no evidence to support the existence of any one of these alleged problems in Charters Towers and they are all based solely on the assertions of the town mayor, a federal MP and those claiming to be affected by these mystery ailments. No health experts are cited or quoted to substantiate the allegations, which contradict expert advice and medical information.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">(A) Histoplasmosis [1]: Headlined ‘Disease strikes bat-ridden town’, this story was based on a man’s reported belief that his undiagnosed illness of three years was due to the bats: “Charters Towers man Ronald Jenkins believes an epidemic of bat disease, or histoplasmosis, is behind his major health problems and the ill health of many other town residents.” Despite no doctor having made a diagnosis, “Mr Jenkins swears the problem lies squarely with the colony of an estimated 20,000 bats that has infested the town for years.”</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">There are no records in the medical literature of histoplasmosis caused by flying-fox faeces, and it is most commonly caught from the accumulated droppings, known as guano, from insectivorous, cave-dwelling bats [2], which are very different to the flying-foxes that roost in Charters Towers</span>.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">(B) Bood-sucking mites [3]: The Townsville Bulletin has published two stories and an editorial on alleged tick-like mites, with the first claiming that “Charters Towers residents under siege from a colony of bats are also faced with a plague of blood-sucking mites” and the second that a resident had been wounded on an arm by one of the insects: “[Mr Burnham] showed the Townsville Bulletin a scar on his left arm that Mr Burnham said was caused by an insect that latched on to his skin and fed on his blood.”</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Again, no health experts or biologists were cited to support the existence of these alleged mites. Flying-foxes are known to host a few species of mite as well as parasitic wingless flies (Nycteribiidae), but there is no record in the medical literature of insects transferring from flying-foxes and taking blood meals from humans. Wildlife carers who have close contact with flying-foxes have not reported problems with blood-sucking insect attacks [4].</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Most mites and the Nycteribiid flies are specific to one or several related hosts and cannot parasitise other species [5]. For these insects to transfer from a host to another animal would normally require close contact with the host animal, which should not be occurring in Charters Towers. Mites do not survive long off their hosts [6]. Occasionally, humans catch scabies from animals (more than 40 species are known to host these mites), but the infestation is usually self-limiting and requires contact with the animal (and the scabies mite is not a blood sucker) [7].</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">(C) Melaka virus [8]: Mentioned as a threat along with lyssavirus and Hendra virus in a quote from the town mayor, this virus is not known to exist in Australia. It has caused a flu-like illness in one Malaysian family [9]. This virus was also falsely promoted as a risk for Charters Towers on an ABC TV news item on 28 November, see our blog post <a href="http://talkingbats.blogspot.com/2010/12/even-abc-propagate-nonsense-about-bats.html">here</a>.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Confusion about the presence of Melaka in Australia may have originated from <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/06/26/1962036.htm">this article</a> on the ABC website that quotes Australian scientists and is not wholly clear that the infection had occurred just in Malaysia, not in Australia.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">(D) Lyssavirus via the water supply [10]: The Townsville Bulletin quoted Federal MP Bob Katter saying about lyssavirus “Now remember I'm not saying it's as simple as it stepping out of a bat and into a human, but the water supply is one way."</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Health experts say spread by the water supply is not possible, Queensland Health stating on its website “A bat bite, scratch or mucous membrane exposure to bat saliva is necessary to transmit the virus” [11].</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Promoting fear and hypochondria amongst people who live near bats seems to be The Townsville Bulletin’s contribution to the campaign by Charters Towers politicians to get rid of bats from the town (and to get re-elected; the local state MP Shane Knuth has promised residents that within one month of his party coming to power the bats will be gone [12]).</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Contrary to the alarmist statements published by The Townsville Bulletin, health authorities advise that living near a bat camp is not a health risk. A brochure published by Queensland Health states, “Flying foxes are not a health risk to you unless you are bitten or scratched” [13]. Of the only virus known, in Australia, to be transmitted by flying-foxes to humans, Australian bat lyssavirus, they say: “There is no known risk of contracting ABL from bats flying overhead, contact with bat urine or faeces or from fruit they may have eaten. Living, playing or walking near bat roosting areas does not pose a risk of exposure to the virus.” [14]</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Queensland Health has sought to reassure Charters Towers’ residents they are not at risk from flying-foxes. In a story carried by Charters Towers’ local paper (the Northern Miner) [15], but not the Townsville Bulletin, Townsville's public health medical officer Dr Steven Donohue was reported as saying that there is “absolutely no evidence” to suggest bats in Charters Towers are carrying human diseases and there had been “no reports of any local residents getting sick from bats”. “Specifically, Townsville Public Health Unit has no record of any cases of histoplasmosis, Hendra virus, Mokola [sic] virus, lyssavirus, mites, lice or any other parasites arising from bats in Charters Towers,” Dr Donohue said.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b>References</b></span><b>:</b><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">[1] See <a href="http://www.townsvillebulletin.com.au/article/2010/12/01/188675_news.html">http://www.townsvillebulletin.com.au/article/2010/12/01/188675_news.html</a></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">[2] O’Sullivan M, Whitby M, Chahoud C, Miller S. 2004. Histoplasmosis in Australia: A report of a case with a review of the literature. Australian Dental Journal 49(2): 94-97.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">[3] See <a href="http://www.townsvillebulletin.com.au/article/2010/11/23/186675_hpphoto.html">http://www.townsvillebulletin.com.au/article/2010/11/23/186675_hpphoto.html</a>; <a href="http://www.townsvillebulletin.com.au/article/2010/11/23/186775_opinion.html">http://www.townsvillebulletin.com.au/article/2010/11/23/186775_opinion.html</a>; <a href="http://www.townsvillebulletin.com.au/article/2010/11/29/188141_news.html">http://www.townsvillebulletin.com.au/article/2010/11/29/188141_news.html</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">[4] Pinson D. 2007. The Flying Fox Manual. StickeeBatz Publishing.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">[5] Walton SF, Currie BJ. 2007. Scabies: diagnostic problems for a global disease in human and animal populations. Clinical Microbiology Reviews 20:268-279.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Bruyndonckx N, Dubey S, Ruedi M, Christie P. 2009. Molecular cophylogenetic relationships between European bats and their ectoparasitic mites (Acari, Spinturnicidae). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 51(2): 227-37.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Hall L, Richards G. 2000. Flying Foxes: Fruit and Blossom Bats of Australia. UNSW Press: University of New South Wales</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">[6] Mattsson JG, Ljunggren EL, Bergstrom K. 2001. Paramyosin from the parasitic mite Sarcoptes scabiei: cDNA cloning and heterologous expression. Parasitology 122: 555–562.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Bruyndonckx et al. 2009; Walton & Currie 2007. See Note [5].</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">[7] Mattsson et al. 2001. See Note [6].</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">[8] See <a href="http://www.townsvillebulletin.com.au/article/2010/11/29/188141_news.html">http://www.townsvillebulletin.com.au/article/2010/11/29/188141_news.html</a></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">[9] Chua KB, Crameri G, Hyatt A, et al. 2007. A previously unknown reovirus of bat origin is associated with an acute respiratory disease in humans. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 104(27): 11424-11429.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">[10] See <a href="http://www.townsvillebulletin.com.au/article/2010/11/29/188141_news.html">http://www.townsvillebulletin.com.au/article/2010/11/29/188141_news.html</a></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">[11] See <a href="http://www.health.qld.gov.au/goodhealthintnq/topics/abl.asp">http://www.health.qld.gov.au/goodhealthintnq/topics/abl.asp</a></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">[12] See <a href="http://www.townsvillebulletin.com.au/article/2009/03/20/45761_news.html">http://www.townsvillebulletin.com.au/article/2009/03/20/45761_news.html</a></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">[13] See <a href="http://www.health.qld.gov.au/ph/documents/cdb/livingwithflyingfoxes.pdf">www.health.qld.gov.au/ph/documents/cdb/livingwithflyingfoxes.pdf</a></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">[14] <a href="http://www.health.qld.gov.au/goodhealthintnq/topics/abl.asp">http://www.health.qld.gov.au/goodhealthintnq/topics/abl.asp</a></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">[15] Jenkins C. Bats 'no health risk'. Northern Miner. 7 December 2010, page 1.</span>Darkfliershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17726846472696245034noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5357494155099524609.post-64603375883206609952010-12-04T11:02:00.002+11:002010-12-10T20:16:22.299+11:00Even the ABC propagates nonsense about bats<div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">As the public broadcaster, the ABC is required to abide by standards of accuracy, impartiality and balance in its reporting (see the <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/corp/pubs/documents/200806_codeofpractice-revised_2008.pdf">ABC code of practice</a>). But these standards have slipped in some reports filed on flying-foxes, particularly when journalists have yielded to the temptation of sensationalising disease risks. <br />
<br />
Flying-foxes carry viruses that can affect humans BUT only one person is recorded as having caught a disease from Australian flying-foxes: a woman died in 1998 from Australian bat lyssavirus after being bitten [1]. Her death could have been prevented by vaccination. <br />
<br />
Health departments and health experts advise that mere proximity to bats is not a disease risk (eg. see <a href="http://www.health.qld.gov.au/ph/documents/cdb/livingwithflyingfoxes.pdf%20and%20here%20www.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/content/F5614C7988B83121CA256F190003790B/%24File/batsmed.pdf">here</a>) [2]. People just need to take care not to touch bats, and to consult their doctor if they are bitten or scratched (because “bats rarely initiate contact with humans,” this mostly occurs when people try to rescue [3] or harm bats). <br />
<br />
But some media reports would have you believe that living near a bat camp is a potential death sentence, including a recent ABC TV news report about a protest in Charters Towers, Queensland, against a bat camp in town (broadcast 28 November, it can be viewed <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1pVtaBJcGM&feature=channel">here</a>). <br />
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Bat-borne diseases were reported to be the main reason Charters Towers’ residents want the town’s flying-foxes gone, with the newsreader stating that locals say the government is putting their lives at risk by refusing to permit “more proactive measures” to get rid of the bats. Federal MP Bob Katter was shown telling the protesters that “they’ll [the bats? the government?] just laugh at us as we go out there and quite literally die.” The reporter Megan Woodward then referred to three viruses – <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_bat_lyssavirus">lyssavirus</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hendra_virus">Hendra</a> and Melaka – implying that they were all a risk for Charters Towers residents due to the presence of bats: “While links with Hendra and lyssavirus are well-known, the Council says there’s another virus, Melaka, that can be transmitted to humans by bat faeces.”<br />
<br />
Not only did the reporter neglect to note that humans don’t catch Hendra virus from bats, and that lyssavirus can’t be transmitted through mere proximity to bats, she concocted a new disease risk that doesn’t even exist in Australia (Melaka virus caused a flu-like illness in a Malaysian family), on the basis of advice from the local government (not normally regarded as health experts). No health expert was interviewed. <br />
<br />
The ABC’s failure to research this story properly and the propagation of false information about health risks, with the potential to cause unnecessary alarm in listeners, is irresponsible. <br />
<br />
Even an ABC environmental blog managed to inflate disease risks (see <a href="http://www.abcscience.com.au/environment/articles/2010/08/26//2994415.htm">here</a>), with reporter Sara Phillips defending Bob Katter’s views on bats and disease: “But Bob Katter isn't mad, you just need to know what he's going on about. Flying foxes do kill people.” [4]<br />
<br />
Ms Phillips claimed that flying-foxes have killed six Australians: two from lyssavirus and four from Hendra. But just one death from lyssavirus is attributed to a flying-fox (the one other from a microbat), and flying-foxes do not infect humans with Hendra virus; horses do (but there are no calls for horse culls!) [5].<br />
<br />
Flying-foxes are a natural host for Hendra virus. Ironically, people who disperse or kill flying-foxes and destroy their habitat could cause stress-induced spillover events that lead to occasional infections of horses. A scientific review of Hendra and other viruses by Andrew Breed and colleagues [6] warned that the processes driving spillover of infection are those that cause flying-fox decline, including “hunting, roost disturbance and habitat loss or alteration”. <br />
<br />
This highlights the importance of reporters properly investigating stories about health threats and consulting experts, to avoid inadvertently supporting the messages of those advocating the very actions likely to increase disease risks. <br />
<br />
The ABC news item on the Charters Towers protest was flawed in other ways as well. It implied that the only reason the State Government had refused a permit for helicopter dispersal of the bats was a small risk that bats could be harmed. In fact, human safety was also an issue as flying low over residential areas is considered a hazard by aviation authorities and requires special authorisation, which had not been obtained. Helicopter “mustering” is also likely to fail and result instead in bats moving into residents’ backyards, as has occurred with previous dispersal attempts. Bats are nothing like cattle, and helicopter dispersal didn’t work when it was tried in the Northern Territory.<br />
<br />
The ABC news report was also politically biased. It featured three conservative politicians who are each opposed to both bats and the current Queensland Government. The Government was not given a voice in the story (there was one throwaway reference to the environment minister, Kate Jones, at the end of the piece) or the opportunity to respond to false allegations. <br />
<br />
Both biased and inaccurate, the reporter stated “With the Bligh Government’s popularity proving to be slipping in polls released today, Charters Towers’ residents are asking Queensland voters to show some solidarity and back their cause and boot the government out.” The reporter had no basis for claiming that “Charters Towers residents” in general want to boot the government out. She could not even legitimately claim that all the protesters want the government booted out unless she had interviewed them all. There are undoubtedly ALP voters in Charters Towers and there are even residents who like having flying-foxes in their park. Unfortunately, bats are being treated as football number one in a nasty political battle, and the ABC seemed to be favouring one side.<br />
<br />
The most positive thing that can be said about that ABC news item was that it wasn’t quite as bad as the reporting by the Townsville Bulletin, which has concocted a new blood-sucking creature that jumps from bats to humans in Charters Towers and has sent people to hospital (see <a href="http://www.townsvillebulletin.com.au/article/2010/11/29/188131_news.html">here</a> and <a href="http://www.townsvillebulletin.com.au/article/2010/11/23/186675_hpphoto.html">here</a>). <br />
<br />
However, there is usually more to distinguish the ABC from the Townsville Bulletin, as it does regularly feature balanced and informative reporting on flying-foxes. It’s a pity the reporter for the Charters Towers story didn’t at least consult the ABC Online Scribbly Gum site about flying-foxes (see <a href="http://abcclassics.com/science/scribblygum/flyingfox/default.htm">here</a>), which conveys disease risks accurately and states that “just being near a roost will not put you at risk of being infected”.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>References:</b><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">[1] Hanna J, Carney I, Smith G, et al. 2000. Australian bat lyssavirus infection: a second human case, with a long incubation period. Medical Journal of Australia 172:597-9. Note that the other case of lyssavirus (also fatal) was thought to be due to contact with a microbat. </span><br />
<br />
[2] For example, a brochure published by Queensland Health explicitly states: “Flying foxes are not a health risk to you unless you are bitten or scratched”. See www.health.qld.gov.au/ph/documents/cdb/livingwithflyingfoxes.pdf. <br />
<br />
[3] McCall B, Epstein J, Neill A, et al. 2000. Potential human exposure to Australian bat lyssavirus: Brisbane South and South Coast, Queensland, 1996-1999. Emerging Infectious Diseases 6: 259-264.<br />
<br />
[4] It seems strange that an environmental reporter would set out to defend Bob Katter’s views on flying-foxes. Mr Katter characterises flying-foxes in extreme terms as killers and advocates mass culling; contrary to all evidence, he claims they are in “plague” numbers: "There are no varieties that aren't 10 to 100 times the numbers they were at European settlement because back then they had nothing to eat” (see <a href="http://www.cairns.com.au/article/2009/09/14/63581_local-news.html">here</a>)<br />
<br />
[5] Contrast this with reporting on other diseases. Ross River virus and Barmah Forest virus have been spread to humans by mosquitoes which bit kangaroos and wallabies. The media reports these diseases as being transmitted by mosquitoes, not kangaroos and wallabies. When there is a sequence of hosts, there seems to be a tendency to focus ‘blame’ for the disease on the least popular of them. <br />
<br />
[6] Breed A, Field H, Epstein J, Plowright RK, Daszak P. 2006. Emerging henipaviruses and flying foxes conservation and management perspectives. Biological Conservation 131: 211-220.<br />
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</div>Darkfliershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17726846472696245034noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5357494155099524609.post-40186717373600253002010-12-01T06:39:00.007+11:002010-12-04T11:15:28.600+11:00‘Scout bats’ are a myth<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_kG9NfQqK6Lo/TPRpnp_0pUI/AAAAAAAAADU/kiUxkX0GhI4/s1600/orchard+v+forest+picture.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_kG9NfQqK6Lo/TPRpnp_0pUI/AAAAAAAAADU/kiUxkX0GhI4/s320/orchard+v+forest+picture.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US">To justify killing flying-foxes, some <a href="http://www.news-mail.com.au/story/2010/12/01/flying-foxes-fruit-crops-lychees-craig-van-rooyen/">fruit growers</a> and <a href="http://www.barnabyjoyce.com.au/Issues/Thisweekinpolitics/tabid/56/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/941/categoryId/7/FLYING-FOXES-AND-FRUIT-IN-QLDS-GRANITE-BELT-DO-NOT-MIX.aspx">politicians</a> peddle the myth of ‘bat scouts’ (see below for more examples). Like honeybee scouts, bat scouts are said to search the landscape for new food sources and guide their fellow bats to them. So, they claim, if a fruit grower can shoot the alleged scouts, the orchard remains a secret to all other bats. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US">It’s a convenient myth for fruit growers because they can claim they only need to kill a few scouts to protect their orchards from vast numbers of flying-foxes. Queensland MP Rob Messenger asserted that “most farmers only needed to take a maximum of ten scouts in order to protect investments worth tens of thousands of dollars”.[1]<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=5357494155099524609#_edn1" name="_ednref1" title=""></a> Federal MP Bruce Scott told parliament that flying-foxes weren’t a problem for Queensland farmers when shooting was permitted as “the scout bat … [can] be terminated—quickly and humanely”.[2]<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=5357494155099524609#_edn2" name="_ednref2" title=""></a> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US">But the scout notion is biologically bogus [3]<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=5357494155099524609#_edn3" name="_ednref3" title=""></a> and it is fanciful to claim that fruit growers protect their crops by killing just a few flying-foxes when so many have been slaughtered in the past. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
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<tr> <td style="border: 1pt solid windowtext; padding: 0cm 5.4pt; width: 442.8pt;" valign="top" width="590"><h3><span lang="EN-US">Peddling the myth: claims about ‘bat scouts’</span></h3><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Before damage mitigation permits were revoked by the city-centric Queensland Labor government, the flying foxes did not pose a problem because the DMPs allowed for the scout bat, which is the bat that looks for a new roosting place for the colony, to be terminated—quickly and humanely.</span></div><div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;"><span lang="EN-US">Bruce Scott, Federal Member for Maranoa, 22 November 2010 [4]<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=5357494155099524609#_edn4" name="_ednref4" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;"></span></span></span></a> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">The fruit growers in the Granite Belt are asking the Queensland Government to temporarily reinstate damage mitigation permits. These permits would allow fruit growers to minimise the damage to their orchards by controlling the number of fruit bats who scout for food prior to an invasion by the main colonies.</span></div><div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;"><span lang="EN-US">Senator Barnaby Joyce, 18 August 2009 [5]<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=5357494155099524609#_edn5" name="_ednref5" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;"></span></span></span></a></span></div><div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">We're not talking about the wholesale shooting of bat colonies, but the selective deterrence of lead scout bats that will deter bat colonies from coming into an area.</span></div><div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;"><span lang="EN-US">Mike Horan, Shadow Queensland Primary Industries Minister, 24 July 2008 [6]<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=5357494155099524609#_edn6" name="_ednref6" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;"></span></span></span></a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Like many other fruit growers, Ms Ferris advocates shooting the 'scout bat', the lead flying fox which apparently flies ahead of the flock, alerting others to the location of food.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> The Government has repeatedly stated that the scout bat theory cannot be proved and has little basis in science.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> But fellow district grower Ian Mungall is also a strong believer in the concept and told QCL earlier this year he had watched how scout bats called other flying foxes into his orchard. He could only watch helplessly as they devoured large swaths of his nectarine crop resulting in losses of $20,000.</span></div><div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;"><span lang="EN-US">Queensland Country Life, 24 November 2009</span></div><div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;"><br />
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</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Flying-foxes don’t need a ‘bat scout’ to find food</b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US">With good vision and sense of smell, long-distance navigation skills, and an excellent memory for locations, each flying-fox has the ability to find its own food.[7] They undoubtedly gain information about local food sources by observing other bats but there is no evidence for a special category of bats that generously seek out food on behalf of others. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Flying-foxes are not sharers</b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US">Bats aren’t like ants or bees; they don’t live in organised cooperative societies with designated roles.[8] They are territorial about food and can spend much of the night defending their patch in a food tree from others (the reason for all the bat squabbling heard at night).[9] A flying-fox has much to gain if it can find a fruit tree all its own. It makes no sense to suggest that a designated few would search out food for the rest of the camp. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; margin-left: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Orchards are easy to find</b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US">Orchards are much easier to find than natural food sources such as isolated fruiting or flowering trees in forests. They are very concentrated sources of food that stand out in the landscape as a regular array of trees, easy for a bat to spot from the air and easy to smell when fruit is ripe. Many orchards are close to flying-fox camps and couldn’t be missed. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Bats have a good memory for food sources</b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US">Flying-foxes have an excellent memory for locations.[10] Some return each year to the same branch in a bat camp after many months away. They are not likely to forget an orchard they have fed in previously, so there would be no need for a scout to find each orchard all over again at the beginning of each fruit season. Whether or not flying-foxes choose to feed in an orchard depends on what other food is available. When natural foods are in short supply, orchards are heavily targeted.[11]<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=5357494155099524609#_edn11" name="_ednref11" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;"></span></span></span></a> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Shooting is not a practical solution</b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US">There is no practical way for fruit growers to effectively protect their crops by shooting small numbers of flying-foxes.[12]<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=5357494155099524609#_edn12" name="_ednref12" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;"></span></span></span></a> They cannot spend all night every night guarding their orchard and be guaranteed of shooting every bat that enters. A NSW survey of 17 growers found that on average they shot for just 1.6 hours/night for 3 nights a week for 4.4 weeks, leaving their orchard unguarded for more than 90% of the time.[13] Shooting a few bats is particularly useless when natural bat foods are in short supply and orchards are heavily targeted. This is when the majority of fruit losses occur. Netting offers full-time protection and is the only method known to be effective, which is why it is the industry standard. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>The scout bat theory hasn’t worked in the past</b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US">Fruit growers haven’t been able to protect their orchards in the past by killing a few alleged scout bats, which is why a large proportion of commercial fruit targeted by flying-foxes is now under netting.[14] It flies in the face of history for growers to contend that they need kill only a few flying-fox scouts to protect crops, when it was common past practice for a grower to kill hundreds or thousands a season.[15] Growers complained they couldn’t protect their crops when governments reduced the numbers of flying-foxes permitted to be killed (due to declining populations). Now that shooting bats has been banned in Queensland and could be in NSW (as recommended by a government-appointed independent panel),[16] it suits some growers and politicians to peddle the scout myth in an attempt to justify ongoing shooting.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Shooting is inhumane and anti-conservation</b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US">When bats are shot at in orchards at night, it is inevitable that some are wounded rather than die immediately, and because the ripening of most commercial fruit coincides with flying-fox births, shooting results in the starvation of babies when their mothers are shot.[17] There is no way of making shooting humane, which is why the Queensland Government has banned it.[18]<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=5357494155099524609#_edn18" name="_ednref18" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;"></span></span></span></a> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US">Shooting also puts pressure on declining flying-fox populations. Because flying-foxes don’t breed successfully until they are 2 or 3 years old and have only one baby a year, they have a low capacity for population growth.[19] Two species killed in orchards – grey-headed and spectacled flying-foxes – are listed as nationally threatened.[20]<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=5357494155099524609#_edn20" name="_ednref20" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;"></span></span></span></a> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US">Shooting flying-foxes for crop protection is inhumane and anti-conservation. Killing mythical bat scouts won’t help growers protect their crops. The scout myth rather than mythical scouts should die. </span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<b><span lang="EN-US">References: </span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; margin-left: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">[1] Messenger R. 2009. Government must change flying fox policy now to stop disaster. Media release 12 January.</span><br />
<br />
<div id="edn1"><div class="MsoEndnoteText"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: small;">[2] Scott B. 2010. Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (Public Health and Safety) Amendment Bill 2010.<i> </i>Second Reading. House of Representatives Votes and Proceedings. </span><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Hansard</i> 22 November 2010, page 33. </span><br />
</div></div><div id="edn3"><div class="MsoEndnoteText"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference" style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-US"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%;">[3]</span></span></span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: small;"> There is no published evidence for bat scouts – a search of scientific databases found no references – and </span><span style="font-size: small;">it is inconsistent with knowledge of bat behaviour. </span><br />
</div></div><div id="edn4"><div class="MsoEndnoteText"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference" style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-US"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%;">[4]</span></span></span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: small;"> Scott, 2010. (See note 2)</span><br />
</div></div><div id="edn5"><div class="MsoEndnoteText"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference" style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-US"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%;">[5]</span></span></span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: small;"> Joyce B. 2009. Flying foxes and fruit in Queensland’s granite belt do not mix. Website for Senator Barnarby Joyce. <a href="http://www.barnabyjoyce.com.au/Issues/Thisweekinpolitics/tabid/56/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/941/categoryId/7/FLYING-FOXES-AND-FRUIT-IN-QLDS-GRANITE-BELT-DO-NOT-MIX.aspx">http://www.barnabyjoyce.com.au/Issues/Thisweekinpolitics/tabid/56/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/941/categoryId/7/FLYING-FOXES-AND-FRUIT-IN-QLDS-GRANITE-BELT-DO-NOT-MIX.aspx</a></span><br />
</div></div><div id="edn6"><div class="MsoEndnoteText"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference" style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-US"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%;">[6]</span></span></span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: small;"> Horan, M. 2008. Quoted in Hendra virus: Qld’s bat policy ‘out of touch’. <i>Queensland Country Life</i> 24 July 2008. </span><br />
</div></div><div id="edn7"><div class="MsoEndnoteText"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference" style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-US"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%;">[7]</span></span></span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: small;"> Eby P. 1995. The biology and management of flying foxes in NSW. NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service, Hurstville. Hutcheon JM, Kirsch JAQ, Garland T. 2002. A comparative analysis of brain size in relation to foraging ecology and phylogeny in the Chiroptera. <i>Brain, Behavior and Evolution </i>60: 165-180. Safi K, Dechmann DKN. 2005. Adaptation of brain regions to habitat complexity: a comparative analysis in bats (Chiroptera). <i>Proceedings of the Royal Society (Biological Sciences)</i> 272: 179-186. </span><br />
</div><div class="MsoEndnoteText"></div></div><div id="edn8"><div class="MsoEndnoteText"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference" style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-US"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%;">[8]</span></span></span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: small;"> Bat camps or colonies do not constitute a discrete or fixed population of flying-foxes. Some bats may be resident in a camp, others are regular or sporadic occupants. There is considerable population flux in bat camps mostly related to the availability of food. Flying-foxes can travel thousands of kilometers a year between different camps. </span><br />
</div></div><div id="edn9"><div class="MsoEndnoteText"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference" style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-US"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%;">[9]</span></span></span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: small;"> Hall L, </span><span style="font-size: small;">Richards G. 2000. <i>Flying Foxes: Fruit and Blossom Bats of Australia. </i>UNSW Press, University of NSW.</span><br />
</div></div><div id="edn10"><div class="MsoEndnoteText"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference" style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-US"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%;">[10]</span></span></span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: small;"> Safi and Dechmann, 2005. (see note 7).</span><br />
</div></div><div id="edn11"><div class="MsoEndnoteText"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference" style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-US"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%;">[11]</span></span></span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: small;"> NSW Flying-fox Licensing Review Panel. 2009. Report to Landscapes and Ecosystems Conservation Branch, NSW Department of Environment and Climate Change. 10 May 2009.</span><br />
</div></div><div id="edn12"><div class="MsoEndnoteText"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference" style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-US"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%;">[12]</span></span></span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: small;"> A survey of 17 fruit growers in the Sydney Basin by Dang et al. (2009, see note 13) found that 88% of them did not believe that shooting ‘scouts’ (early arriving bats) was effective at deterring others and most believed that flying-foxes returned to the orchard after being scared off. </span><br />
</div></div><div id="edn13"><div class="MsoEndnoteText"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference" style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-US"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%;">[13]</span></span></span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: small;"> </span><span style="font-size: small;">Dang H, Jarvis M, Fleming P, Malcolm P, Brook J, McClelland K. 2009. Grey-headed flying-foxes (<i>Pteropus poliocephalus</i>) in orchards: damage estimates, contributing factors and mitigation. Final report to Hawkesbury Nepean catchment Management Authority. NSW Department of Primary Industries and NSW Department of Environment and Climate Change. </span><br />
</div></div><div id="edn14"><div class="MsoEndnoteText"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference" style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-US"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%;">[14]</span></span></span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: small;"> According to the Queensland Department of Primary Industries (2005), about 90% of lychee, longan and rambutan growers in North Queensland had netted their orchards by 2005. According to Dang et al. (2009, see note 13), netting on the north coast of NSW covers 100% of stone fruit orchards (61 ha), 67% of lychee orchards (30 ha), 100% of blueberries (430 ha), 50% of custard apples (200 ha) but none of bananas (1728 ha) or mangoes (180 ha). In the Sydney Basin, 30% of surveyed orchard area was netted (89 ha of 296 ha). The NSW Flying-fox Licensing Review Panel (2009, see note 11) reported that about 23% of stone fruit and apple orchards in the southern sector (450 ha total) are netted. </span></div><div class="MsoEndnoteText"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: small;">Queensland Department of Primary Industries. 2005. Nets save lychee industry from flying fox and bird attacks. Media release, 16 February 2005. </span><br />
</div></div><div id="edn15"><div class="MsoEndnoteText"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference" style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-US"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%;">[15]</span></span></span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: small;"> A federal court judgment [Booth v Bosworth] found that one fruit grower probably electrocuted 18,000 spectacled flying-foxes in one season. From 1986-1992 more than 240,000 grey-headed flying-foxes were shot in orchards under 616 licences in NSW; many more were shot illegally. Wahl (1994) reported that 69% of orchardists surveyed said they had shot without a licence or outside licence provisions. </span></div><div class="MsoEndnoteText"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: small;">Wahl D. 1994. The management of flying foxes (Pteropus spp.) in New South Wales. M. App. Sci. Thesis. Applied Ecology Research Group. Canberra. </span><br />
</div></div><div id="edn16"><div class="MsoEndnoteText"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference" style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-US"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%;">[16]</span></span></span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: small;"> NSW Flying-fox Licensing Review Panel, 2009 (see note 11).</span><br />
</div></div><div id="edn17"><div class="MsoEndnoteText"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference" style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-US"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%;">[17]</span></span></span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: small;"> </span><span style="font-size: small;">Divljan A, Parry Jones K, Eby P. 2009. Report on deaths and injuries to grey-headed flying-foxes, <i>Pteropus poliocephalus</i>, shot in an orchard near Sydney, NSW. </span><br />
</div></div><div id="edn18"><div class="MsoEndnoteText"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference" style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-US"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%;">[18]</span></span></span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: small;"> AWAC. 2008. Animal Welfare Advisory Committee’s Recommendations. Advice to the Minister for Primary Industries and Fisheries The Honourable Tim Mulherin. </span><br />
</div></div><div id="edn19"><div class="MsoEndnoteText"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference" style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-US"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%;">[19]</span></span></span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: small;"> Martin L, McIlwee AP. 2001. On the intrinsic capacity for increase of Australian flying-foxes (<i>Pteropus </i>spp., Megachiroptera). <i>Australian Zoologist </i>32: 76-100. </span><br />
</div></div><div id="edn20"><div class="MsoEndnoteText"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference" style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-US"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%;">[20]</span></span></span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: small;"> Grey-headed flying-foxes and spectacled flying-foxes are listed as vulnerable under the federal EPBC Act. Currently, NSW still permits the shooting of flying-foxes (which includes grey-headed flying-foxes) but Queensland no longer permits the shooting of any flying-foxes (which includes both grey-headed and spectacled flying-foxes) for crop protection. </span></div><div class="MsoEndnoteText"><br />
</div><div class="MsoEndnoteText"><br />
</div><div class="MsoEndnoteText"><br />
</div></div></div>Darkfliershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17726846472696245034noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5357494155099524609.post-34700862162649862952010-11-28T16:00:00.006+11:002010-11-28T19:17:24.333+11:00They shoot bats, don't they?<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">The grey-headed flying-fox is listed as vulnerable to extinction. So how is the species managed in NSW? Well for one, the Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water (DECCW) issues licenses for it to be culled despite an <a href="http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/threatenedspecies/Flyingfoxlicrev.htm">independent government appointed committee</a> concluding that the practice is "unacceptable legally and ethically".</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">The core issue is that flying-foxes damage fruit in commercial orchards. Orchard fruit isn't their preferred diet, it's too low in protein but, when natural food sources (native fruits and blossoms) are scarce, the orchards provide a fallback, easy source of food. But it's a fallback that can lead to a bullet and a slow death through infection, dehydration or predation.<br />
<br />
NSW is the only state that still allows for flying-foxes to be shot. Queensland banned it in 2008 because of its cruelty. The NSW government lacked the courage to follow suit.<br />
<br />
Full exclusion netting is the only effective way of protecting orchards against flying-foxes but the cost of installation is high.</span><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"> Shooting, ineffective as it is (especially when there are large numbers of bats), is cheaper than netting and remains the preferred option for many orchardists.<br />
<br />
Welfare, conservation and farmer groups have been lobbying the NSW Government to commit funds to a program that will provide support for farmers to install netting but there's little sign that the current Labor government is taking the issue seriously.<br />
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In an upcoming post, we'll look at the issue of "scouts". Some farmers and politicians claim that shooting just a few bats, the mythical "scouts", will protect an orchard from incursions from large numbers of bats. The claim really doesn't stand up to close scrutiny and we think it's worth showing why.....<br />
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In the meantime, if you want to know more about shooting and especially the cruelty issues, check out the resources<a href="http://hsi.org.au/index.php?catID=263"> that Humane Society International have online</a>.<br />
</span>Darkfliershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17726846472696245034noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5357494155099524609.post-20804574774907886872010-11-27T05:00:00.000+11:002010-11-27T05:01:01.407+11:00Starting to Talk Bats<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Well here we go with the first Talking Bats post. What's it all about? It's an informal blog about stuff that's happening to bats here in Australia. The focus will inevitably be flying-foxes because they're the ones that make the most news.<br /><br />We'll be introducing you to the flying-foxes of Australia and we'll explain what a rough deal they get.<br /><br />Two species of Australian flying-foxes, the spectacled flying-fox and the grey-headed flying-fox are listed as vulnerable to extinction but little is being done to arrest the decline in numbers. Habitat destruction, colony disturbances, climate change and licensed shooting are just some of the threats they face.<br /><br />Through this blog, we'll try to keep you up-to-date with happenings, positive and negative, that are affecting these iconic species.</span>Darkfliershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17726846472696245034noreply@blogger.com0