A wild population of flying foxes roosting at Queens Park have created a need to temporarily close part of the Ipswich Nature Centre and Nerima Gardens.
Temporary entrances to the Ipswich Nature Centre and Nerima Gardens have been established on Goleby Avenue.
To manage the safety of visitors to the Ipswich Nature Centre, staff have implemented extra cleaning and maintenance of the trees.
Environment and Sustainability Committee Chair Councillor Russell Milligan said council will monitor the flying foxes and will determine the suitability for reopening fully next week.
“The safety of residents is paramount,” Cr Milligan said.
“It has been determined that due to the flying fox activity the risks to residents in the areas where they are most densely populated, is too high, so those areas will be temporarily closed off.
“Council will provide updates to residents when the Ipswich Nature Centre and Nerima Gardens are able to fully reopen.”
More than 5,000 flying foxes make the surrounding trees their home during migration and the top section of the Ipswich Nature Centre – the barn, lace monitor, lorikeets and dingo area – are currently being affected by the flying fox roost along with the lower part of Nerima Gardens.
There are three species of flying-fox roosting within the park – Black flying-fox Pteropus Alecto, Grey-headed flying-fox Pterpopus poliocephalus and Little red flying-fox Pteropus scapulatus.
Like all native wildlife species, flying foxes are protected under the Queensland Nature Conservation Act 1992.
The Ipswich Nature Centre was also forced to close earlier in the year for two months because of the migrating visitors.
