{"id":444758,"date":"2026-01-29T08:37:15","date_gmt":"2026-01-29T08:37:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/444758\/"},"modified":"2026-01-29T08:37:15","modified_gmt":"2026-01-29T08:37:15","slug":"dozens-of-animals-killed-by-golf-clubs-new-installation-died-in-front-of-us","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/444758\/","title":{"rendered":"Dozens of animals killed by golf club’s new installation: ‘Died in front of us’"},"content":{"rendered":"

Frustrated wildlife carers are pleading for change after rescuing 88 flying foxes in a harrowing multi-day operation. The animals were trapped in the netting<\/a> of a driving range, with the mass tangling the third one at the site already this month.<\/p>\n

Katrina Odgers responded to a call for help at Noosa Golf Club on Tuesday morning to find dozens of bats <\/a>caught in the netting<\/a>. She spent the entire day helping to rescue as many bats as possible, but later that night more bats became stranded.<\/p>\n

“There were 88 bats in total. And I think less than half survived<\/a>,” Katrina told Yahoo News.<\/p>\n

The rescue was painstakingly long, with a cherry picker working to cut the bats down one at a time.<\/p>\n

Each bat took around 10 minutes to cut down, with the rescuers watching on helplessly as many of the animals “died in front of us” before they could be reached.<\/p>\n

\"Flying<\/p>\n

Less than half of the trapped animals survived. Source: Katrina Odgers<\/p>\n

“They were severely dehydrated. We’re just lucky that it was a cloudy day, otherwise a lot of them wouldn’t have survived after about 11am,” she said.<\/p>\n

“They were dehydrated, their eyes were open because they couldn’t blink, they were that dehydrated. We’d get them eyedrops if they weren’t blinking.”<\/p>\n

The netting was wound so tightly<\/a> around some of the bats it was choking them.<\/p>\n

The rescued bats were taken to Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital, where some are now in the hands of carers.<\/p>\n

Golf club working to find long-term solution<\/p>\n

As well as funding the cherry picker, Noosa Golf Club set up flood lights near the nets to deter the bats on Wednesday night.<\/p>\n

It was successful, with one lone bat found and released on Thursday morning.<\/p>\n

Katrina said that while the lights appeared to be effective, it wasn’t a long-term solution.<\/p>\n

“You can’t keep that up because you end up attracting insects and then you get microbats and owls and tawny frogmouths and powerful owls and things like that,” she said.<\/p>\n

The nets were installed about six months ago, with the first animal entrapment occurring shortly after they were set up.<\/p>\n

\"Around<\/p>\n

Rescuers watched on as the bats died while trapped in the nets. Source: Katrina Odgers<\/p>\n

Noosa Golf Club president Dale Officer told Yahoo News the club is working to find the best solution, and is looking at adding reflective discs to the net.<\/p>\n

“We’re taking steps to try and solve this issue long term,” Mr Officer said.<\/p>\n

“Our problem is, because the nets are 25 metres high, you need a specialised and authorised team, and they’ve got to have proper equipment to get up that high, so the earliest we can get them out here is about two weeks.<\/p>\n

“In the meantime it’s just us bearing the cost of floodlights for two weeks.”<\/p>\n

Mr Officer said the golf course is a nature reserve, with resident kangaroos, koalas, goannas and many species of birds.<\/p>\n

“We’re mindful of protecting all of the animals that live onsite as well as the ones that visit our site,” he said.<\/p>\n

“We’re more than well aware of our environmental and community responsibility, so that’s why we’ve done all we possibly can.”<\/p>\n

He said the club has been liaising with Queensland Parks and Wildlife, who have visited the driving range and are happy with the steps being taken.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Katrina is now petitioning for the nets to be replaced with a wildlife-friendly alternative. Source: Katrina Odgers<\/p>\n

For Katrina and her fellow rescuers, they would love to see the nets replaced with wildlife-friendly netting \u2014 nets that have holes so small that no animals can get caught.<\/p>\n

She argued that the top of the netting will have to be replaced anyway, as there are around 50 holes cut into it where the live bats were removed.<\/p>\n

“Get the top two layers down, just for now and put up safe, tight netting,” she said. “Make it wildlife-proof, and make it visible to them at nighttime.”<\/p>\n

Mr Officer said the club is looking at “all options”, including changing the netting, tightening the tension in the nets and adding the reflective discs.<\/p>\n

“With koalas, it’s ‘no tree, no me’. With bats, it’s ‘no me, no tree’,” Katrina said, saying they are crucial to pollinating native Australian trees, particularly Eucalyptus species.<\/p>\n

“We would lose our entire ecosystem if bats died. They are our keystones species.”<\/p>\n

The wildlife rescuers have started a petition<\/a> to have the nets replaced.<\/p>\n

Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

You can also follow us on Facebook<\/a>, Instagram<\/a>, TikTok<\/a>, Twitter<\/a> and YouTube<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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