{"id":624951,"date":"2026-09-15T02:12:18","date_gmt":"2026-09-15T02:12:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/624951\/"},"modified":"2026-09-15T02:12:18","modified_gmt":"2026-09-15T02:12:18","slug":"flying-fox-influx-overruns-mount-isa-suburb-like-a-cloud-coming-over","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/624951\/","title":{"rendered":"Flying fox influx overruns Mount Isa suburb ‘like a cloud coming over’"},"content":{"rendered":"

As dusk settles over the outback city of Mount Isa a dark plume rises from the trees surrounding homes in the suburb of Sunset.<\/p>\n

Thousands of flying foxes stream into the evening sky.<\/p>\n

For 24-year-old doctor Aaron Gray the spectacle has lost its initial sparkle.<\/p>\n

Dr Gray moved to Mount Isa this year for postgraduate medical training and bought his first home as “a little present to himself” in June.<\/p>\n

The established garden was part of the attraction, but within about a week there was “an explosion” of flying foxes.<\/p>\n

His garden is now covered in droppings, dead flying foxes, leaves and fallen branches.<\/p>\n

At one point he was spending three to four hours a day cleaning.<\/p>\n

“I’ve just given up and just let it go,” Dr Gray said.<\/p>\n

\"Aaron<\/p>\n

Aaron Gray bought his first home in Sunset in June, shortly before the flying foxes arrived. (Supplied: Aaron Gray)<\/p>\n

‘Like a cloud coming over’<\/p>\n

A few doors away, long-time property owner Tony Tolke has watched the colony grow.<\/p>\n

“It’s just like a cloud coming over,” Mr Tolke said.<\/p>\n

“It’s never been as bad as this.”<\/p>\n

Branches have blocked Mr Tolke’s driveway and droppings cover cars, the roof and a boat.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Residents say falling branches have damaged properties and blocked access around some Sunset homes. (Supplied: Aaron Gray)<\/p>\n

His pregnant daughter is a paramedic and shift worker, and the family had to move her baby shower away from the house.<\/p>\n

“You can’t even enjoy your own home,” Mr Tolke said.<\/p>\n

He said wet season insurance repairs had also been delayed because builders were unwilling to work at the property while the flying foxes remained.<\/p>\n

Residents want action<\/p>\n

The residents want authorities to encourage the flying foxes away from homes and provide more help with the aftermath.<\/p>\n

Dr Gray said the problem had left him increasingly confined to his home.<\/p>\n

He said the council environmental officers had visited his property but told him their “hands are tied”, legally.<\/p>\n

He later asked for visiting state wildlife officers to meet affected residents but said they instead drove through the area.<\/p>\n

“A drive-by is not really the same as going into the property and speaking with the actual residents affected by it,” Dr Gray said.<\/p>\n

The Queensland Department of Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation confirmed a little red flying fox camp had formed in trees across private properties.<\/p>\n

It said it expected the animals to move on once the trees finished flowering.<\/p>\n

\"Large<\/p>\n

The state environment department says a little red flying fox camp has formed across private properties in Sunset. (Supplied: Aaron Gray)<\/p>\n

A department spokesperson said wildlife rangers had inspected the site and met with Mount Isa City Council to provide advice on management options.<\/p>\n

Under Queensland conservation laws, landholders can use deterrents including noise, lights and water sprays to discourage flying foxes from returning, provided the animals are not harmed.<\/p>\n

Council considers moving flying foxes<\/p>\n

Mount Isa City Council chief executive Tim Rose said new state advice had established the flying foxes were not breeding at the site.<\/p>\n

“We can start having a look at moving the bats on because they’re not breeding there, which is a positive outcome,” Mr Rose said.<\/p>\n

Options include noise and potentially reducing vegetation, with the council considering a coordinated approach with residents.<\/p>\n

“They call it nudging,” Mr Rose said.<\/p>\n

\"Flying<\/p>\n

Mount Isa City Council is considering measures to encourage the flying foxes away from residential areas. (Supplied: Tony Tolke)<\/p>\n

The council received a $38,500 state government grant last year to develop a flying fox management plan.<\/p>\n

Mr Rose said the draft plan, developed following community consultation, was now with the department for feedback.<\/p>\n

Residents have criticised the council’s response to the influx but Mr Rose said, “I think we’ve done everything we can.”<\/p>\n

He said the council had needed state advice about what it could legally do because flying foxes were protected.<\/p>\n

Mr Rose said the council was unlikely to financially assist residents with cleaning, increased water bills or property damage.<\/p>\n

“Probably not, to be perfectly frank and honest,” he said.<\/p>\n

“We’re probably not responsible for bats being there.”<\/p>\n

Residents have questioned whether the council’s vegetation clearing along Breakaway Creek contributed to the flying foxes moving into the area.<\/p>\n

Mr Rose said the clearing was undertaken because of flooding concerns.<\/p>\n

“We can’t really say one way or the other whether it made any difference or not,” he said.<\/p>\n

For Dr Gray, the issue is increasingly about the life he came to Mount Isa to build.<\/p>\n

“I understand the benefit to the environment, but should it really come at the cost of our livelihood and our homes?” he said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"As dusk settles over the outback city of Mount Isa a dark plume rises from the trees surrounding…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":624952,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[60853,265403,265404,60384,61,60,265402,265405,82,263],"class_list":["post-624951","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-wildlife","tag-bats","tag-flying-fox-infestation","tag-flying-fox-management","tag-flying-foxes","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-mount-isa-city-council","tag-queensland-department-of-environment","tag-science","tag-wildlife"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/624951","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=624951"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/624951\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/624952"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=624951"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=624951"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=624951"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}