Impact of Cadel’s race on wildlife questioned

THE City of Greater Geelong has reaffirmed its commitment to the protection of Eastern Park’s grey-headed flying fox colony, after local residents and wildlife carers raised concerns about the impact of the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race on the endangered species.

However, neither the city nor the organisers of the annual five-day cycling festival will commit to a further revamp of the event’s course to avoid potential disturbances to the nationally significant colony during future events.

The route for this year’s road race, which was held between January 29 and February 2, included a new loop around the Geelong Botanic Gardens that passed through Eastern Park where the colony resides.

Video captured during the event and shared online, shows several flying foxes attempting to flee the area as the peloton raced passed, a response Bats of Geelong founder Leila Merritt described as a “fright or flight response”.

This response, she said, particularly when considered alongside the extreme heat recorded during this year’s event, could lead to life-threatening impacts for the colony that range from multi-organ failure to the abandoning of the species’ highly vulnerable pups.

In response, community members launched a petition, which now has more than 540 signatures, calling for a reassessment of the race circuit to prevent “irreversible stress” on the colony.

James Stirton, the city’s executive director of city infrastructure, said the city remained committed to the welfare and “best practice environmental management” of the grey-headed flying fox colony.

“A mitigation strategy was developed in collaboration with the city’s environmental team, DEECA and event organisers to reduce potential impacts.”

This strategy, he said, included establishing an aircraft exclusion zone, restricting spectator access near the colony and managing noise and disturbance.

“On-the-ground monitoring was conducted over the weekend to observe the colony and ensure effective implementation of protocols,” Mr Stirton said.

Meanwhile, the organisers of the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race said they had worked closely with the city to implement all of the required mitigation measures for the race.

Mr Stirton also noted the city was implementing further strategies to help the flying foxes tackle extreme heat, including the installation of a new irrigation system, which will distribute water throughout the camp via sprinklers to help prevent heat stress and mortality events.

This system is expected to be installed by September, ahead of the colony’s next breeding season and the 2026 Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race, and bring some relief to the vulnerable species.