This does sound tremendously awful.

"The bats came and they are just out of control," Smith told Sky News. "We just can't do anything because of them."

Sky News reports that 100,000 (!) gray-headed flying foxes have gathered in Batemans Bay in New South Wales.

This is not a small concern, according to Sky News, which reports that "the problem is so bad they are on almost every surface and in every tree."

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"We've had many residents complain, they feel they're prisoners in their own homes, they can't go out, they have to have air conditioning on the whole time, windows closed," New South Wales Environment Minister Mark Speakman told the Australian Broadcasting Company.

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The circumstances, Speakman said, "really amount almost to a state of emergency."

The community will receive 2.5 million Australian dollars ($1.8 million) to help with "the relocation of the flying fox colony," the New South Wales Government announced this week.

"To have a situation where residents have to leave their homes due to the noise and odor from these animals is clearly unacceptable, but with this funding, we can now move ahead with dispersal and manage new sites for the bats," NSW Premier Mike Baird said in a news release. "The community has been very clear on this — the bats have become a massive problem."

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A "large flying fox camp" formed in the community a few years ago, according to the government news release.​

Gray-headed flying foxes are about nine to 11 inches long, with a ring of orange fur around their heads and gray fur on their bellies and heads, according to Wildlife Queensland. They are found on Australia's east coast and gather in camps, which can have large populations.

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Sky News reports that because the species is considered vulnerable, the bats can't be killed by officials.

According to the news operation, authorities are thinking about using "smoke and noise" to help get rid of the bats. Or, they may remove vegetation.

Animal rights groups are insisting that patience is the only thing that will work, saying the bats will move on of their own accord when ready. But people who live in the town are desperate for a solution. One person said the animals are "causing a great deal of stress and distress."