Bairnsdale's bat battle - photo essay

A 10-year fight between a group of residents and the East Gippsland shire council over grey-headed flying foxes is heating up againThe Australian town of Bairnsdale in Victoria - 300km east of Melbourne - is known as the gateway to east Gippsland's natural wonders. It is also the scene of a 10-year battle between a group of residents and the East Gippsland shire council over a colony of grey-headed flying foxes that roost along the town's Mitchell River. In 2014, the council received federal government approval to clear critical habitat in a three-stage process, the first occurring in 2015. The debate is now heating up in the approach of stage-two clearing, which the council intends to complete by the end of 2018. Continue reading...