From pesky kookaburras to loud lorikeets, the Hunter is home to a breadth of native animals.
But what happens when those animals become hazardous to humans?
A Newcastle Herald dive into five years of the state environment department's licence to harm register revealed thousands of animals each year are approved to be removed from homes.
Landholders and residents were licenced to shoot 1.9 million kangaroos and remove more than 200,000 other native animals between August 2017 and February 2023.
In the lower Hunter and Hunter coast regions, 7306 kangaroos and 5715 other native animals were licenced to be killed or caught and released across the same time span.
It is against the law to hurt native animals in NSW and licence applicants must prove they have exhausted all other options, a Department of Planning and Environment spokesperson told the Newcastle Herald on Monday.
But more than 7000 kangaroos or wallabies, including 190 red-necked wallabies, were approved to be shot in the area. Licences to kill birds had been granted 36 times across the five year period.
Up to 100 swallows were killed in the Raymond Terrace postcode during 2020 for their damage to cars and vehicles or impact on human health.
In Port Stephens, up to 10 kookaburras were shot for being aggressive in Salamander Bay late last year. A further three were licensed to be killed on a different property in the same postcode in 2017.
Chloe Hing is a frequent holiday-maker in Salamander Bay. She said she had noticed kookaburras becoming increasingly aggressive over the last five years.
"They are gorgeous birds and they sing to you. I love the old story of kookaburras laughing before the rain comes," she said. "The kookaburras in this area seem very tame.
"They have stolen chips while I've been eating on the beach, or swooped almost like magpies."
The data does not reveal the specific reasons for a licence to kill the 13 kookaburras.
Rainbow lorikeets were the most common bird killed for aggression towards humans.
Two peregrine falcons were authorised in be killed near Thornton in 2021. The licence to shoot the pair of birds was valid for almost six months.
Possums, particularly common brushtails, appear frequently on the list of licences for the lower Hunter. None were allowed to be shot and those caught had to be released.
The owner of Hunter Pest Solutions told the Newcastle Herald it was best for residents to call in professional help to inspect and remove a possum. Without this, many are mistaken for rats and can die from bait poisoning instead of being rehomed.
It is also important for residents to know possums are territorial.
"When we are called to do a possum treatment, we release them at the front door," the spokesperson said. "Possums have their territory and you can't take them even down the road.
"When you [go down the road], you are putting that possum in another territory and it may not know where there is water or food. You don't know if there is another possum in that area," the spokesperson said.
He recommended having tree branches cut back to stop possums returning into roofs or homes.
