Bats Plunge to Ground in Cold; Saved by Incubators, Fluids

Bats Plunge to Ground in Cold; Saved by Incubators, Fluids
Mary Warwick, wildlife director for the Houston Humane Society, holds a Mexican free-tailed bat as it recovers from last week's freeze on Tuesday, Dec. 27, 2022, in Houston, Texas. (Elizabeth Conley/Houston Chronicle via AP)

HOUSTON (AP) — Hundreds of bats lost their grip and plunged to the pavement underneath a bridge in Houston after going into hypothermic shock during the city’s recent cold snap, according to wildlife rescuers who saved them by administering fluids and keeping them warm in incubators.

The Mexican free-tailed bats that roost at Houston’s Waugh Bridge went into shock when temperatures plunged below freezing last week, the Houston Humane Society said in a Facebook video.

The society’s Texas Wildlife Rehabilitation Center rescued hundreds of bats from beneath the bridge, along with another group of bats elsewhere in the Houston area that also went into hypothermic shock, said center director Mary Warwick. She said some were recuperating in dog kennels in the attic of her home. Nearly 700 of the estimated 1,500 rescued bats are set to be released back into the wild on Wednesday, she said.

The humane society is now working to raise money for facility upgrades that would include a bat room, Warwick added.

“That would really help in these situations where we continue to see these strange weather patterns come through,” she said. “We could really use more space to rehabilitate the bats.”

 

A+
a-
  • bats
  • In The News

    Health

    Voting

    Weather

    Storm Carrying Massive 'Gorilla Hail' Hits Parts of Kansas and Missouri

    ST. LOUIS (AP) — Massive chunks of hail pelted parts of Kansas and Missouri on Wednesday night, bringing traffic to... Read More

    ST. LOUIS (AP) — Massive chunks of hail pelted parts of Kansas and Missouri on Wednesday night, bringing traffic to a standstill along Interstate 70, as storms unleashed possible tornadoes and meteorologists urged residents to stay indoors. There were three unconfirmed reports of tornadoes in Wabaunsee... Read More

    More Mountain Snow Expected as Powerful Blizzard Moves Out of Northern California

    TRUCKEE, Calif. (AP) — A powerful blizzard that closed highways and ski resorts had mostly moved through the Sierra Nevada by early... Read More

    TRUCKEE, Calif. (AP) — A powerful blizzard that closed highways and ski resorts had mostly moved through the Sierra Nevada by early Monday but forecasters warned that more snow was on the way for Northern California mountains. Sections of Interstate 80 to the west and north of Lake... Read More

    John Kerry Reflects on Time as Top US Climate Negotiator

    WASHINGTON (AP) — Time was running out and U.S. Climate Envoy John Kerry knew it. International climate talks in mid-December... Read More

    WASHINGTON (AP) — Time was running out and U.S. Climate Envoy John Kerry knew it. International climate talks in mid-December were stuck with no agreement to phase out oil, gas and coal, fossil fuels that are the root cause of global warming. The United Nations sponsored... Read More

    Blizzard Warning of up to 10 Feet of Snow in the Sierra Could Make Travel 'Dangerous to Impossible'

    A Pacific storm packing powerful winds and heavy snow is shaping up to be the strongest of the season, forecasters... Read More

    A Pacific storm packing powerful winds and heavy snow is shaping up to be the strongest of the season, forecasters say, as it pushes toward California with potential blizzard conditions in the Sierra and up to 10 feet (3 meters) of snow in the mountains around Lake Tahoe... Read More

    Wildfire Grows Into Second-Largest in Texas History

    A fast-moving wildfire burning through the Texas Panhandle grew into the second-largest blaze in state history Wednesday, forcing evacuations and... Read More

    A fast-moving wildfire burning through the Texas Panhandle grew into the second-largest blaze in state history Wednesday, forcing evacuations and triggering power outages as firefighters struggled to contain the widening flames. The sprawling blaze was part of a cluster of fires that burned out of control... Read More

    Winter Storm Hits Northeast, Causing Difficult Driving, Closed Schools and Canceled Flights

    HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — Parts of the Northeast were hit Tuesday by a snowstorm that canceled flights and schools and... Read More

    HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — Parts of the Northeast were hit Tuesday by a snowstorm that canceled flights and schools and prompted warnings for people to stay off the roads, while some areas that anticipated heavy snow were getting less than that as the weather pattern changed. More... Read More

    News From The Well
    scroll top