© 2024 Texas Public Radio
Real. Reliable. Texas Public Radio.
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Bats Find New Home Across The Street From Texas A&M Stadium

NPS
/
Wikimedia Commons

COLLEGE STATION, Texas — Mexican free-tailed bats kicked out of Texas A&M University’s Kyle Field have found a new home across the street.

The state's official flying mammal, which had migrated south of the Texas border, returned this spring to discover part of its home was gone and other entrances were blocked with nets to keep them out. The stadium is under construction in a $485 million renovation project.

The Bryan-College Station-based The Eagle reports the bats now have begun roosting and hanging out around campus. Their relocation caused a temporary shutdown last week of a swimming pool in the school's recreational center.

Bat experts warn human-bat contact is likely to increase during the renovation project without an effort to accommodate them. A university official recommends people don’t touch bats on campus. 

The Associated Press is one of the largest and most trusted sources of independent newsgathering, supplying a steady stream of news to its members, international subscribers and commercial customers. AP is neither privately owned nor government-funded; instead, it's a not-for-profit news cooperative owned by its American newspaper and broadcast members.