Furious homeowners say they can’t step outside their houses without ‘being pooped on’ in their once-idyllic suburb
- A colony of 20,000 bats have hijacked a quiet suburb
- Residents are fed up with the noisy, smelly and pooing bats
- But the wild mammals are protected under legislation
More than 20,000 bats have swarmed a neighbourhood with fed up locals up in arms over the mess the animals have created.
Residents say the noisy, smelly bats living opposite their homes in Macquarie Fields in Sydney‘s south-west are causing chaos.
But the mammals in the reserve are a protected species under NSW and Commonwealth legislation.
Neighbours told A Current Affair they are sick of being ‘pooped on’, with their cars and home unprotected from the barrage of bat droppings.
‘We can’t have a chat with our friends outside or have a party or a gathering outside,’ one local said.
But the wild mammals are a protected species under NSW and Commonwealth legislation drawing ire from the angry community members
‘There are poops on the front door, poops on the windows, my brand new car’s paint is damaged now – and this type of poop has acid in it,’ said another.
Nira who lives in one of the homes that backs onto where the bats gather said she cannot leave her windows or doors open due to the smell.
She said she and her family are always woken up at 3.45.am by the bats as they screech throughout the morning.
One homeowner, Jim, who has lived in the area for 50 years slammed the environmental laws that protect the bats.
‘They are destroying our homes now who is going to help us?,’ he asked during a terse confrontation with environmental advocates.
Volunteers from Sydney Wildlife Rescue turned up at the residences to defend the animals saying the bats have a right to make the place their home.
But Jim said human lives were more valuable than those of bats.
Another resident Kay said she regrets buying her townhouse in the area and claimed her property is valued less than when she bought it in 2019.
Jim said the area used to be beautiful before the weeds in the nature reserve became overgrown and the bats moved in.
If the place was cleaned up it would get rid of the rats, mice and snakes – and perhaps some of the bats, Jim said.
If the place was cleaned up it would get rid of the rats, mice and snakes – and perhaps some of the bats, Jim said
He said the bats have more rights than people while their homes are suffering adding the local council didn’t care
The Campbelltown City Council said its grey-headed flying fox camp management plan balances the needs of residents with its obligations to protect the wildlife.
It said a residential assistance program provided financial support for residents to purchase products and services to mitigate the impact of living near a flying fox colony,
Work has also started on a nearby habitat to draw the flying foxes away from homes, the council said.