NQ Wildlife Care Slams State Government Over Continued Flying Fox Shootings

Popular North Queensland organisation, NQ Wildlife Care, have fired back at the State Government’s decision to retain permits allowing the shooting of flying foxes for crop protection, calling the practice “cruel” and “completely inconsistent with the protection of native species” in a Facebook post published last week.

The decision reverses the government’s previously announced plan to phase out flying fox shooting by 1st July 2026, a measure that was intended to encourage farmers across Queensland—including in the Burdekin, a major fruit-growing region—to adopt non-lethal alternatives such as exclusion netting.

Under the current arrangement, permits issued by the Department of the Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation allow farmers to shoot a limited number of flying foxes each year, including vulnerable grey-headed flying foxes.

NQ Wildlife Care made its opposition of the decision clear.

"As a wildlife care group, we are heartbroken that the Queensland Environment Minister recently allowed the shooting of flying foxes for crop protection to continue," a spokesperson said.

"This practice is cruel: shooting small, moving animals in the dark is fraught and causes massive injuries and rarely, if ever, instant death. Wildlife carers see enough injured, dying animals, we do not need more coming into our care."

It also questioned the effectiveness and humanity of the measure.

"Shooting is not an effective method of crop protection (unlike netting), and it is also completely inconsistent with the protection of native species, including the grey headed flying fox which is a threatened species," said the spokesperson.

The charity organisation's condemnation of the decision has been met by overwhelmingly positive support by the public, with a linked petition receiving more than 1,000 virtual signatures in less than 24 hours.

One Facebook user said, "The Australian kill, kill, kill mentality astounds me. Brumbies, Dingoes Sharks, Flying Fox. Atrocious."

Another commented, "How bloody devastating for the flying foxes. So much for a protected species."

The decision has drawn criticism from wildlife groups and the public alike, highlighting ongoing tension between crop protection and the welfare of native species.

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NQ Wildlife Care, have fired back at the State Government’s decision to retain permits allowing the shooting of flying foxes for crop protection, calling the practice “cruel.” Photo source: Wikipedia

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