Bat colony to be evicted from Qld city MORE than 25,000 bats are set to be evicted from their treetop homes in Cairns after the council voted in favour of their removal. Cairns Regional Council decided on Wednesday to prune a number of fig curtain trees in the CBD in an attempt to disperse the Spectacled Flying Fox colony. However, the council will need approval from the federal government before it takes action as the bats are a threatened species. "It is the intention to have the flying foxes moved on to a more appropriate location before the breeding season starts in October," Mayor Bob Manning said. Earlier this year the state government changed the rules to allow councils in certain urban areas to scare away bat colonies without needing a permit, using non-lethal methods such as sound, light, smoke or chemicals. No new home has been found for the bats, instead it is hoped they will find other trees outside the Cairns CBD to live. A council report acknowledged a Griffith University study which found 16 of 17 attempts to relocate flying fox colonies failed. The bats are considered a nuisance and health hazard in Cairns, although tourists can be spotted photographing the bats as they fly across the city at dusk. Bat Conservation and Rescue Queensland president Louise Saunders has called the move "destructive," adding that bats play an important role in the rainforest eco-system. "This will have a big impact on their breeding status, these bats are already threatened with extinction," she told AAP. What they're going to say next is: 'lets just shoot them'. Fears about bats have been sparked by a lack of information given to the public following an outbreak of rare bat-borne diseases, she said. "There is no risk from living near flying foxes," Ms Saunders said. There is only a risk when you try and help an injured one and you've got to call a wildlife rescue organisation.