As Houston residents walks across the Waugh Bridge in the wake of Hurricane Harvey they were met with a startling sight — hundreds of dead and struggling bats floating in the water below.
The bridge, a popular tourist destination in the city, is known for the estimated 250,000 Mexican free-tailed bats that live underneath it.
“People gather every night at sunset, that’s when they all fly out,” Houston resident KirstiAnn Clifford told CBS News. “It’s kind of a landmark in Houston.”
There’s a bat viewing platform and several signs that explain the advantages of the small, furry, flying creatures, which can consume almost two and a half tons of insects each night, according to the Houston Parks and Recreation Department.
Mexican free tails can live for up to 20 years, Michelle Camara, owner of Southern Wildlife Rehab and director of Bat World Alamo, told CBS News.
“They’re eating 1,000 bugs an hour, 6,000 bugs a night. That’s a lot of bugs,” she added. “Take away those bats, you’re going to be in big trouble.”
There’s a higher risk of disease from insects such as mosquitoes if bats aren’t around to control the population.
“Because of the fact that Houston’s flooding so much, they’ll really need those bats afterwards. They already have a mosquito problem as it is with standing water,” Camara said. “Without the bats we’d have a lot more issues with diseases.”
Read more at CBS News
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