Our Mission
To promote respect for bats and their place in the environment
through rehabilitation and release, conflict resolution, and education
Even in Austin, the bat capital of North America, bats continue to be feared and misunderstood. Fear of the unknown is embedded deep in the human psyche. But, thanks to the work of dedicated scientists and conservation organizations like Austin Bat Refuge, knowledge about and appreciation for bats is emerging from the darkness.
We fund our organization through grants, program fees, donations, and by facilitating research and education in Central Texas. We are not funded by any government agency or NGO.
Rehabilitation and release
We take in orphaned and injured local bats found all over Central Texas and the Houston area. Orphans are hand-fed formula until weaned, when they are brought out to the flight cage. This moth-attracting aviary provides them a safe place to learn to hunt and drink on the wing. Once they graduate from flight school, we are thrilled to release them back into the wild.
Below, red bat juveniles practice their drinking skills.
Below is two-day-old D-Day, found on top of Congress Avenue Bridge.
And here’s a shot of a rehabilitated free-tail getting released at Congress Avenue Bridge.
Bats are highly beneficial, harmless if simply left alone, fascinating, and vital to the balance of nature. And they’re crazy cute!
Join us in saving bats and celebrating their fundamental roles in the environment.
Filmmakers, photographers:
Let us be your Bat Concierge here in Bat City!
Conflict resolution
Austin Bat Refuge consults with businesses, homeowners, and local governments to find solutions that help people and save bats (bat exclusion and relocation).
The Bats and Buildings brochure, created by Dianne Odegard of Austin Bat Refuge and Laura Finn of Fly By Night, Inc., outlines strategies for peaceful co-existence with bats and, when necessary, humane exclusion of bats from buildings.
Originally published by BCI
Below, workers are repointing limestone blocks weeks after deploying bat exclusion tubes on a structural arch at 6th St & Shoal Creek in Austin.
Education
Check out our radar page for cool videos like this one:
~999,584 Mexican free-tailed bats leave Huber Limestone Mine
We are once again busy with in-person presentatioons. Both in-person and periodic online talks, like this Bat Happy Hour with Shoal Creek Conservancy, can be found on our Events page.
We share the love of bats with young and old, groups large and small.
Schedule your presentation soon!
