Hundreds of bats who were clinging to their roost under a bridge in Houston, Texas, went into “hypothermic shock” due to the chilly winters in Texas. The birds lost their grip on the bridge, which was nine meters above the street, and almost froze in the chilly air, according to a Facebook post from the Houston Humane Society.
What came next was a rescue operation fit for Batman in the midst of an escalating cold wave. The group started a bat rescue, and 929 bats were rescued from the sidewalk beneath the Waugh Bridge and given food and heat.
The majority of the bats who were saved needed warmth and water
By the weekend, the volunteers had joined the rescue effort and had brought back more than 1,500 bats, who had been kept warm in Mary Warwick, the society’s wildlife director, attic, or another shelter. The majority of the bats who were saved needed warmth and water, but those that had been severely harmed by the bitter winters were kept in incubators and fed intravenously.
Amazingly, the majority of the bats have survived, according to the group. The group released “close to 700” birds back to the bridge on Wednesday as the temperature climbed to 72 degrees Fahrenheit (22 degrees Celsius), allowing them to fly freely and hunt for insects.
The Mexican free-tailed bats “are tiny and have low body fat, therefore they are not able to live long when laying unprotected on the ground in frigid conditions,” according to the Humane Society. Bat viewing is a well-liked sport in Texas, where vast bat colonies may be seen under numerous bridges.
