URGENT: You may have seen hundreds of flying foxes dying as a result of the record-breaking temperatures in Cairns this week. Carers are working around the clock. Sound familiar? It is. We were in this same situation one year ago losing a majority of pups from the Cairns CBD camp from other stressors.
We are living in a changing climate. Aside from supporting carers, we can’t press pause on the heat right now but what we can do is push our politicians to be making better decisions for these creatures.
In the State of Qld, we have legacy laws from the Newman era that allow Local Governments to cut down, prune and disperse flying fox roosts without gaining State approvals. These laws have seen MANY trees cut down in our CBD: in 2012 there were 38 roost trees being used by flying foxes around the Cairns Library camp, today less than 11 of these remain.
The compounded impacts of these laws are playing out in our colonies now but these laws don’t need to stay the same. The Qld Labor Government made an election promise to rescind these laws. Let’s hold them accountable.
On Thursday 29th November CAFNEC Director, Roz Walden is meeting with the Qld Environment Minister, Leeanne Enoch. She has written a briefing paper and is going to show the minister the masses of dead animals piling up in our region.
Here’s where we come in – let’s make as much noise online as we can to get the ministers attention between now and tomorrow.
Let Environment Minister Leeanne Enoch that Far North Queenslanders have had enough of the mismanagement of the Spectacled Flying Fox:
1. Prepare a simple message about why you care about Spectacled Flying-foxes. Long, short, one line, with photos or without – it all adds up. Make it personal and emotive.
2. Post the comment on her most recent Facebook post https://www.facebook.com/leeanneenochmp/ – at the moment the post only has 3 comments, we can make it MASSIVE
3. Write her an email with your comment: environment@nullministerial.qld.gov.au and/or ring her offices and voice it verbally (07) 3737 2110
4. Share the above video and ask others to do the same. Link: https://www.facebook.com/CAFNEC/videos/353641722059644/
Thank you to Rick Klopping, CAFNEC intern for making this wonderful animation earlier in the year. We’ve been waiting for the perfect time to use it. Let’s make it worthwhile!
