More than 30 years have passed since the Black Sabbath frontman famously bit the head off a bat, but it appears the winged species have finally imparted their revenge on the rock singer.
Plans to convert part of Osbourne's Buckinghamshire estate have been quashed by Chiltern district council, which has refused to grant the singer permission to turn a barn on his Jordans' estate into a two-bedroom home after "considerable evidence" of bats and owls was found on the grounds.
Following an interim survey of the estate, Chiltern council said measures needed to be put in place to protect the animals in the Stone Dean Farm near Chalfont St Giles, which had droppings and feeding remains of common and soprano pipistrelles and "possibly brown long-eared" bats, reports the BBC. All species of bat and their roosts are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and The Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2010.
A council spokeswoman said: "Mr Osbourne cannot convert his listed building until satisfactory surveys and related mitigation, allowing the bats and owls to remain living on the site, is submitted.
"We must be satisfied measures have been put in place to protect the animals before planning permission can be considered."
While the news may come as a disappointment for the 65-year-old singer, it goes to show that karma even exists in the world of riotous rock'n'roll: in 1982 during a concert in Des Moines, the Black Sabbath frontman was captured biting the head off a bat.
In his memoirs – I Am Ozzy – the singer explains how he initially believed that the bat was a rubber toy: "Immediately, though, something felt wrong. Very wrong," he said.
For a start, my mouth was instantly full of this warm, gloopy liquid, with the worst aftertaste you could ever imagine. I could feel it staining my teeth and running down my chin. Then the head in my mouth twitched.
The council were asked what action might be taken if Osbourne were to bite the head off a bat once again, but did not return the Guardian's call.
