FLYING FOXES THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS

FLYING FOXES THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS, originally uploaded by cnlizziebns.

Had business in Brisbane today and drove down off the mountain and noticed these flying foxes roosting along the banks of the Brisbane River, where ever I looked, foxes, hanging off the trees.

In far north Queensland the obvious threat is the salty crocodile which will eat you if given the opportunity. The flying foxes to me are just as dangerous as noticed horses grazing in paddocks metres away from this huge colony ..

The not fully understood Hendra Virus HeV which will under experimental conditions be reproduced in cats and guinea pigs. It is possible to transmit HeV from experimentally infected cats to horses, but experimental transmission from horse to horse, or from horse to horse or from horses to cats, to date has not been possible, I understand.

Six people have been known to be infected with the virus three dying. The virus spills over into horses from flying foxes and the infected horse can then infect humans and 50% death rate.

The fruit bat, like the saltwater crocodile is a protected species which it should be but horses should not be kept in the vicinity of such a huge colony, I believe, with only my layman's take on the virus this is asking for trouble.

The virus appears to follow the path of flying foxes to horses to humans and I believe does not transmit from flying fox to humans. The flying fox are a natural host of the so called HeV. This virus has only ever been detected here in Queensland, Australia, one case in Lismore just over the Queensland border.

A potentially lethal situation.....easily rectified...take the equines away from the vicinity of the colony.

The virus has only been detected firstly in 1994 in Queensland Australia, nowhere else in the world and the risk is minimal. The scientific community I believe is conducting ongoing research into this, I believe, not fully understood virus, and the Australian scientific community in the past have proved to be innovative and cutting edge.....

We did have an outbreak of Equine Influenza introduced by protocols at the Quarantine Station not being adhered to and our status is again Equine Influenza free due to the aggressive innoculation and quarantine of individual properties during the crisis and a virtual standstill of all equine movements. I do believe this has not been achievable anywhere else in the world but will stand corrected on this.....Of course Equine Influenza has nothing to do with the above only the fact it is a horse disease , am pointing out what was achievable in this country, with the equine community and government prepared to take the financial hit and go the hard yards, and they were hard, brought me together with many others, to my knees financially, to get rid of the disease.