BAT WORLD SANCTUARY

HAPPENING NOW.

We have taken in over 30 bats in less than 24 hours, and the calls continue to roll in.

Yesterday, a highly unusual number of grounded bats were found in the downtown area of Mineral Wells, Texas. All had wing wasting disease. Last night we went to investigate and discovered bats flying from a collapsed building. Most were ending up in the street and on the sidewalks and even in the road, where sadly, some were run over. After an extensive search we ended up with over 20 bats scattered throughout a several block area. Wing wasting is caused by a bacteria that exists in damp conditions as well as on rotted wood. The bats were likely roosting on the decaying beams inside the part of the building that had not collapsed. Bats hang with their toes, and also groom their fur with their feet and toes. They likely ingested the bacteria when cleaning their toes after grooming. The disease is very painful, so when bats with wing wasting try to fly, they don’t make it very far. All of the rescued bats are receiving pain medication, injectable fluids, antibiotics and Biogamma cream on their wings, which destroys the bacteria. These medications run hundreds of dollars at a time. Thankfully, the bats should be releasable after a few weeks of round-the-clock care.

With an entire colony downtown suffering from this infection, are positive more bats will come in to our care. Three more came in this morning and likely dozens more will be rescued when we check the downtown area tonight. We are incredibly grateful for the help of our volunteers, our wonderful California intern Kate, and our rescue center Bat World Cross Timbers, for jumping to action and assisting with this massive, on-going rescue.

We could not do what we do without our amazing supporters - your donation is a lifeline for the bats in our care. Please help us help them. Even $5, the cost of a fancy coffee, will make more of a difference than you may realize. Thank you in advance for your compassionate support. ❤