Bats are not the cause of COVID-19, nor do they spread the virus. You cannot get COVID-19 from a bat.
Given that, rescuing a bat is pretty straightforward:
Don’t handle the bat, just sweep him or her very gently into a shoebox with a broom or stick. Or wiggle the stick under the bat’s feet until it grabs on, and then lift the bat into a box or, in some cases, into a tree. Call us so we can help you decide.
If you call, we’ll be happy to guide you toward the right thing to do. You can reach out at:
We’ll walk you safely through the process, but we may ask you to find, contain, and transport the bat to us.
BAT ADMISSION FORM-2020
Thank you so much for caring!
People are usually excited to find a bat and rarely take the time to read this whole page, so check out this video from our friend and colleague Leslie Sturges at the Save Lucy Campaign.
Here’s what you can do to help us help bats:
- For the bat’s sake and yours, never pick up a bat with bare hands.
- If a person or pet has been bitten by the bat, then you must call your local Animal Control—here in Austin, call 3-1-1.
- If there has been no contact with people or pets, and if the bat has not been found in a room where people were sleeping, then the easiest thing to do is to close the doors to the rest of the building, open the windows and exterior doors, turn off the lights, and wait for the bat to get oriented and fly out.
What should I do if a bat gets in my house?
Drawings by Mariana Iruzubieta
If this does not work, the bat is not active, and you can see where it is roosting, then containing the bat is no more difficult than capturing a spider in your house.
Use leather gloves while containing it and wait until evening to place the bat outside so it is not eaten by grackles or other birds.
Placing the box on its side, high up on a ledge or wedged on a tree branch, will allow the bat to easily exit the box and drop into flight.
A shoebox is a tried-and-true method, but almost any container can be used in a pinch.
If the bat still won’t leave, and if you are in the Austin area, then print out this form, fill it out, and bring it to us along with the bat.
Thank you so much for caring!
For live or dead bats indoors (and live, grounded bats outdoors) on campus at the University of Texas, Austin, call UT Animal Make Safe. Their 24-hour hotline is 512-471-BATS (2287). For dead animals (including bats) on campus, call the UT Austin Facilities Service Center at 512-471-2020.
Other resources
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: cdc.gov
Texas Department of State Health Services: dshs.texas.gov
Texas Parks and Wildlife Department: tpwd.texas.gov
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services: fws.gov
A well-thought-out analysis of the decision-making process for rescuing a bat:
https://batworld.org/what-to-do-if-you-found_a_bat/
A brochure—co-authored by Dianne Odegard, co-founder of Austin Bat Refuge—about bats in structures.
Bats and Buildings Brochure
For those of you with pools and tanks, an escape ramp is critical to prevent needless suffering of trapped wildlife, including bats.