When Natalie Robinson purchased her property just outside Canungra in 2016, there were a few flying foxes living in the trees at the front of the property.
Today the numbers are in the hundreds, with Natalie and her family unable to leave the house without an umbrella to avoid being defecated upon.
Natalie has appealed to Scenic Rim Regional Council and the Department of Environment and Science for assistance in dealing with the flying foxes.
She was advised to remove some trees and thin out the bamboo at the front of the property, which she did at her own cost, however this has not stopped the influx.
The flying foxes are in trees close to the house, in trees they don’t eat and are affecting every aspect of the family’s life.
Natalie has been diagnosed with Q Fever, making her exhausted every day.
Natalie believes her illness was caused by contact with body fluids from the flying foxes after she had one defecate in her eye.
The flying foxes have stripped and killed some trees on the property and other wildlife that was plentiful has been driven out.
Despite the disruption to her life, Natalie is quick to say the overcrowding on her property is not the fault of the flying foxes.
Development across the Scenic Rim and further afield has left the creatures with limited options.
“Their habitat, their homes are being destroyed and I know they have nowhere to go,” she says.
