Meat Loaf solution to rid gardens of flying foxes

By Malcolm Holland
From: The Daily Telegraph
November 13, 2009

A TRUCK fitted with large speakers pumping out "truly annoying sounds" would circle the Botanic Gardens' flying fox colony each afternoon in the latest desperate bid to drive them away.

The colony of 22,000 grey-headed flying foxes is devastating the garden's historic trees. They have already killed 18 trees and damaged more than 300.

But the colony has proved impervious to a variety of sometimes bizarre schemes to oust them from the garden's palm grove.

The flying foxes have shrugged off garbage cans being banged with sticks, water sprays fitted to tree tops and bags of "python poo" (pythons eat flying foxes) hung from branches.

But perhaps the strangest strategies were smearing shrimp paste on tree trunks, because flying foxes supposedly hate seafood, and the installation of a giant inflatable man.

The foxes weren't bothered by his huge flapping arms, but the generator inflating the man annoyed park staff.

The Botanic Garden Trust's latest plan is now on public display and is awaiting an OK from Federal Environment Minister Peter Garrett.

"We've come up with what we believe are truly annoying sounds to flying foxes," Trust spokeswoman Kerry Brown said yesterday.

"They include whipper snippers, chainsaws, street sweepers, starting pistols, banging metallic objects, and computer generated noises.

"They would be played for 10 minutes each hour in the afternoons while the foxes are sleeping.

"The aim is to annoy them mightily so, just as they nod off again, the noises would come back."

The Trust wants the gardens' flying foxes to set up home elsewhere - probably with one of the six or so other major Sydney colonies, which include Parramatta, Gordon and Wolli Creek.

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/property/meat-loaf-solution-to-rid-gardens-of-flying-foxes/story-fn3006z3-1225797195320

(Submitted by Peter)