A total of 693 bats were released at 5:30 p.m. Dec. 28, only five of which had to be returned to the nonprofit's Wildlife Center for rehabilitation, said Anna Saxton, marketing and events coordinator with the Wildlife Center. Roughly 100 members of the public came out to watch the release.
"We would consider this a very successful release," she said. "Everyone on our end is thrilled. It was a hectic several days managing that many bats, but we are very proud."
The rescue effort was led by Mary Warwick, the wildlife director with the Houston Humane Society and Houston's only trained bat rehabilitator, according to a Dec. 28 news release from the nonprofit. Knowing freezing temperatures were set to hit the Houston area Dec. 22, Warwick realized the bats could go into hypothermic shock, which would cause them to lose their grip on the bridge and fall to the concrete ground, potentially dying or getting injured in the process.
"If she hadn’t had that forethought to go down and take that initiative and check on those bats, it could’ve been such a different outcome," Saxton said.
Bats were rescued from the ground, placed in warming boxes and incubators and given IV fluids to help them recover, according to the release. During the rehab process, Warwick kept the bats in separate kennels for each colony in her attic, which officials said provided an ideal temperature to create hibernation-like conditions.
To prevent injuries from falls, padding was placed under the bridge.
The bridge is considered one of the state's bat watching sites and routinely draw crowds to witness their flight at around dusk each evening. On top of the 693 bats rescued at Waugh Drive, another 909 were rescued by the Houston Humane Society at a colony in Pearland.
After raising alarms about the situation, the Humane Society saw an uptick in help from the community, including people rescuing bats and bringing them to the Wildlife Center, Saxton said. However, she emphasized the importance of handling bats safety to members of the public—using gloves or other means to avoid touching bats with bare hands.
"If a human touches a bat with their bare hands, what will end up happening is that bat will have to be euthanized," said Saxton, who also noted bats could have rabies.
Moving forward, the Humane Society is raising funds for a new, permanent Wildlife Center that would allow for greater animal rescue efforts, Saxton said. The nonprofit is currently located in a leased space in a strip center on Hammerly Boulevard.
Those looking to help can donate to the Jeannie Gresko Memorial Building Fund, launched in memory of a longtime volunteer. Gresko's husband Mark kicked off the fund with a $100,000 donation and, if the nonprofit can raise $100,000 on its own by August, he agreed to match with an additional $100,000 donation, Saxton said.
The new facility, a location for which is to be determined, would feature a dedicated bat room facility and other accommodations to cater to specific types of wildlife, Saxton said.
"Every bit of wildlife in Houston has a different need," she said. "This building will allow us to serve the needs of each and every critter that comes into us. We do that now; it’s just we are in a small space and we are doing the best we can with what we've got."
The new building would also feature dedicated classrooms for educational purposes where the nonprofit could host scout groups, homeowners associations and summer camps, among other classes.
Meanwhile, members of the Humane Society will join Reeves Art Gallery—found at 2415 Taft St., Houston—for a gatherings at 5:30-7:30 p.m. Jan. 6 and 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Jan. 7, including a special presentation on conservation at 1 p.m. Jan. 7.
