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It would be extremely accurate to suggest that, as one resident said, they are prisoners in their own homes because a colony of flying foxes has taken a liking to both the park adjacent to their properties and now, the backyards of the properties themselves.
Despite having their trees decimated and backyards littered with fallen branches and faeces, the residents have been told a wait-and-see approach is needed because the airborne marauders are native animals.
Under Northern Territory legislation, the mammals that have ruined the lives of Katherinites in the vicinity of Prior Park for almost a month have free rein, meaning anyone caught interfering with them in an attempt to return some semblance of normalcy to everyday life is in the firing line for a substantial fine.
Parks and Wildlife Commission NT rangers used variety of noise dispersion techniques to try and move the colony on when it first appeared in March, but little seems to have been done since then.
However, immediate and effective action did not seem to be a problem when a few hundred flying foxes decided to roost in a tree at the PWCNT office at the weekend.
On Sunday afternoon, the flying foxes were having a field day in the tree, with a pile of branches and leaves testament to their impact, even in small numbers.
Less than 24 hours later, the mess was gone and the visitors had been dispersed from the tree, ostensibly back across the road to Prior Park.
The smell and inconvenience of sharing a backyard with several thousand noisy house guests pales in comparison to the significant health risk that the ongoing inaction poses.
The unwanted visitors can carry the Australian bat lyssavirus, which is similar to rabies and can be fatal to humans.
Already this week, one Katherinite has been treated in hospital after contact with a flying fox, while other residents have had to seek medical attention for their dogs after they drank from water bowls suspected of containing faeces.
What potential human toll should we be prepared to accept before someone realises that common sense should trump the batty justification being offered up?
It is a question the Katherine community deserves to have answered immediately.