Our Mission
- Providing permanent sanctuary for non-releasable bats.
- The protection and conservation of wild bat colonies.
- Promoting the humane treatment of bats in captivity.
- Educating the public about the importance of bats.
- Training animal care professionals on the proper treatment of bats
Our Belief
We believe that great animal rescue organizations are judged not just by the scale of the work that they do, but by the impact that work has on the lives of the animals they seek to serve. We actively work with zoos, researchers and animal shelters to offer an alternative to death. Many of the bats in our care have lived terrible lives before coming to us and we provide the security and privacy they need to recuperate from their previous existence. Our facility is currently the only accredited bat sanctuary in the world.
Bat World is a volunteer-based organization supported by public donations.
Our History
Bat World is the legacy of a small bat, found injured on a hot Texas sidewalk in the summer of 1988.
Amanda Lollar thought bats were vermin at the time, but not want the tiny animal to suffer, so she scooted the bat onto a newspaper with the toe of her shoe. The bat was carried back to the family furniture store and placed into a box with a small dish of water. The next day, Amanda found information at the local library about the benefits of bats, so she took the tiny creature home in hopes of healing it’s wing and setting it free. Unfortunately, the injuries were permanent, so “Sunshine” stayed on. During her short lifetime in captivity, Sunshine taught Amanda the enchanting language of bats and sparked her indelible love for this remarkable species. In 1991, Amanda chronicled Sunshine’s poignant story in her book, The Bat In My Pocket, A Memorable Friendship.
In 1994, Amanda founded Bat World Sanctuary, the organization’s first sanctuary for non-releasable bats. Hundreds of bats from around the world have found permanent refuge at this indoor, natural habitat facility. These non-releasable bats include those that have been used in research, retired from zoos, orphaned, permanently injured or confiscated from the exotic pet trade. Bat World is located just outside of Cool, Texas and serves as headquarters for the organization. Aside from this facility, Bat World has established rescue centers across the US. Bat World Sanctuary has been featured on television programs on the Discovery Channel, 20/20 Downtown, Animal Planet, Nickelodeon, the CBS Early Show and Late Night with David Letterman.