As a federal government inquiry is about to begin into the Lower Hunter's bat problems, thousands of the troublesome creatures have returned to Maitland and Cessnock.
Hundreds of bats have converged on East Cessnock and Central Maitland in the past couple of days.
The inquiry will look into the protected status of flying foxes and whether they should be de-listed.
Hunter MP, Joel Fitzgibbon has called for the inquiry and says affected residents need a workable solution.
"Well, I'm hoping to get everyone in the room together - those who are the scientists who have legitimate concerns about biodiversity and recommend protected species status for these bats and of course communities who are adversely affected to tease out the issues. I know there are challenges but as I've said in this 21st century, surely we have the wit to find a way through these problems," he said.
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| Joel Fitzgibbon |
