Bats are still hanging around a University of Georgia dorm.
UGA spokesman James Hataway said in an email Thursday to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that work is ongoing to rid Oglethorpe House of bats that have taken up residence in the nine-floor building on the Athens campus.
Pest control experts returned to the dorm Thursday where they worked over the weekend to seal up access points in the building’s exterior. The workers observed “approximately 25 to 30 bats congregating in the rafters of a rooftop mechanical space” on Thursday. Hataway described the area as “locked” and “inaccessible to students.”
Hataway said that the bats were believed to have been trapped inside the space after the access points were blocked. UGA previously warned students in a message Sunday that they may “find a few stragglers” because bats are small and good at hiding.
“The pest control company has returned to remove a few remaining bats from the building each night since that work was completed, but this is the first large group that has been located. These bats were immediately removed from the rooftop mechanical space,” Hataway wrote.
The crews were scheduled to return Thursday night to remove any more bats that have been discovered.
Credit: University of Georgia
Credit: University of Georgia
“We continue to advise students not to touch a bat if they see one, but rather to notify the staff so it can be safely removed by the pest control contractors,” he wrote.
Bats are a protected species, so UGA said the creatures must be removed instead of being killed.
Oglethorpe House accommodates up to 500 residents. Students have been advised to fill out a public health survey to determine if a rabies vaccination is recommended. Hataway said those survey results haven’t been shared with UGA. It’s unknown if or how many students, employees and visitors to Oglethorpe House have begun rabies vaccinations.
In a Tuesday statement, the Northeast Health District said it was “in the process of collecting information and carrying out interviews with individuals identified as potentially at higher risk of exposure in order to make appropriate care recommendations.”
“The need for post‐exposure rabies vaccination is based on an individual’s specific circumstances, including what their contact with a bat may have been,” the statement said.
The health district did not immediately respond Thursday to additional questions from the AJC.
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