Bat boom sparks backlash as 50,000 flying foxes descend on Sydney suburb

A booming colony of 50,000 grey-headed flying foxes has descended on a suburban corner of Sydney’s south-west, transforming a stretch of bushland into one of the largest urban bat camps in NSW and fuelling growing frustration among nearby residents.

The protected bats have swarmed vegetation around Narellan Creek and Harrington Park Lake, coating homes, cars, footpaths and playgrounds in droppings while generating constant noise and a pungent odour that residents say has upended life in the once-peaceful suburb.

What was a relatively small colony only months ago grew to an estimated 30,000 animals in April before swelling to about 50,000 by June, on counts by the NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water.

The rapid expansion has ignited debate over how governments manage protected native species in rapidly expanding urban areas and whether authorities acted quickly enough as the colony grew.

Harrington Park resident Damien Selakovic said many families were struggling to cope with the daily effects of the situation.

“The flying foxes are merely metres from our doorstep,” he said.

“The smell permeates through our homes. It’s overpowering and nauseating. The noise, particularly at around 4.30am, regularly wakes us up.

“As an asthmatic, I’m deeply concerned about repeatedly cleaning these areas and breathing in airborne particles.”

Selakovic said that residents were also concerned about the camp’s proximity to Harrington Park Public School, childcare centres and community facilities.

Those concerns prompted Camden councillors to unanimously back a review last week into its response to the growing camp and whether additional cleaning services and community engagement measures should have been introduced sooner.

Meanwhile, the council has redirected maintenance crews from other suburbs to increase street sweeping, playground cleaning and footpath maintenance in affected areas.

Yet officials acknowledge there is no straightforward solution.

Grey-headed flying foxes are listed as a vulnerable species after decades of habitat loss across eastern Australia. Any attempt to disperse or relocate the animals therefore requires approval from state and federal agencies, and experts warn that such measures often prove futile.

Sandra Kubecka, Camden Council’s director of community assets, said flying foxes frequently returned after relocation attempts or established new camps nearby.

The challenge facing Camden is increasingly being replicated across Sydney as urban development encroaches closer to bushland and the wildlife that depend on it.

Camden councillor Peter McLean said the situation raised broad planning questions about whether larger environmental buffer zones should be mandated between homes and bushland in residential growth areas.

Similar camps have emerged in such areas as Parramatta, the Sutherland Shire and the northern beaches, with many councils shifting away from relocation efforts and focusing instead on mitigation strategies such as habitat management and community education programs.

Campbelltown Council, which manages the large flying fox camp at Bingara Reserve, also operates a financial assistance program that helps affected residents buy equipment, including high-pressure cleaners, vehicle covers and clothesline shelters.

Camden Council confirmed that it had appointed specialist ecologists to prepare a comprehensive flying fox management plan for Harrington Park, with work expected to begin in July.

For now, residents are being told the colony is likely to remain while flowering banksias and river eucalypts continue to provide an abundant food source.

“I know that’s little solace for residents living with them at the moment, but once that food source decreases, they will move on to another camp,” Kubecka said.

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