It's an idea some would label batty.
But a handful of Queensland crossbenchers are adamant their idea to ship thousands of flying foxes across the border to New South Wales is foolproof.
Robbie Katter, Shane Knuth and Nick Dametto of Katter's Australian Party have for months voiced concerns over the state of remote towns and cities in their north Queensland electorates.
"We're trying to remove hundreds of thousands of bats from towns in crisis," Mr Katter said on Wednesday.
Flying foxes are migratory and drive biodiversity through pollination and seed dispersal, but they are taking over Cairns, Townsville, Charters Towers, Mt Isa and Ingham.
Bats taking over parks. Bats stopping traffic. Bats dropping dead in suburban streets. The politicians are fed up and say their constituents are too.
Meanwhile, some bat populations in NSW have been ravaged by drought and bushfires.
Mr Katter says the solution is simple: send the Queensland bats south.
"If they've identified there's been a problem in the bushfires ... then surely logic would follow that we should offer hundreds of thousands of bats back into those areas," he said on Wednesday.
Conservationist and flying fox specialist Carol Booth says the idea should be ignored.
Dr Booth said it was unrealistic to capture and transport large numbers of flying foxes, and that one of the main species in north Queensland isn't found in NSW.
"It would be detrimental for flying foxes in NSW, increasing competition for scarce native foods, probably leading to more starvation and targeting of fruit orchards," Dr Booth said.
The party has for months called on the state government to give councils more power to manage bat numbers.
Australian Associated Press
