We have now had three deaths of Endangered Spectacled Flying Fox (SFF) pups, and 16 pups separated from their mums after 113 days of dispersal-eviction at the Cairns City Library Nationally Important Camp.
Lindsay Delzoppo of the Qld Dept of Environment and Science (DES) told us on Fri 16 Oct that he cannot order a stop to the dispersal unless there is a fallen, injured or dead SFF. Now we have three dead SFF pups and he refuses to halt the dispersal.
Call or email Lindsay Delzoppo and ask him why he keeps changing the goal posts. Ask him why he is not calling a halt to the dispersal.
Lindsay Delzoppo, Director of Northern Wildlife Operations, Qld DES
Mobile 0418 723 356 (within Australia)
Mobile +61 418 723 356 (from overseas)
Tel +61 7 3330 5393
Email Lindsay.Delzoppo@des.qld.gov.au
Lindsay Delzoppo said that he needed a fallen, injured or dead SFF before he could order a halt to the dispersal even though he called a halt to the dispersal in June in Charters Towers, and even though that species (Little Red Flying Foxes) was not Threatened, and even though there had been no deaths or injuries.
At the Cairns City Library Nationally Important Camp, the first pup died Fri 16 Oct in the evening. It had been separated since the morning and was crying out loudly for its mum. Alone, it was easy prey for an owl and we saw it happen.
On Fri 16 Oct at 1pm I rang Brett Spencer at Cairns Regional Council (b.spencer@cairns.qld.gov.au, tel +61 7 4044 3334) and said there was a lone pup in tree T3 and it had been there for over 50 hours and would be severely dehydrated. Council needed to bring back the cherry picker to retrieve it. He refused. So on Sat 17 Oct when Council was retrieving other lone pups which had just been separated from their mums due to the morning's dispersal, they brought down the dead body of that pup in T3.
Photo: SFF pup hanging dead in tree T3 on Sat 17 Oct after Brett Spencer refused to call back the cherry picker to retrieve it on Fri 16 Oct. Note the position of the wing and the leg.
On Tue 20 Oct Council-appointed bat carers retrieved a dead SFF pup from the footpath mid way through the dispersal.
But Cairns Regional Council refuses to stop the dispersal and Qld DES Lindsay Delzoppo refuses to call a halt - against all the legislation, Implementation Plan and Code of Practice.
Call or email Lindsay Delzoppo and ask him why he keeps changing the goal posts. Ask him why he is not calling a halt to the dispersal.
Lindsay Delzoppo, Director of Northern Wildlife Operations, Qld DES
Mobile 0418 723 356 (within Australia)
Mobile +61 418 723 356 (from overseas)
Tel +61 7 3330 5393
Email Lindsay.Delzoppo@des.qld.gov.au
Watch the video released yesterday (Fri 23 Oct)
The Spectacled Flying Fox is classified as Endangered by the Federal and Queensland governments but critically endangered by scientific criteria (Dr David Westcott, CSIRO, 2020)
Thank you for your ongoing support!