UGA officials provide update after bats infestation in dorm

ATHENS, Ga. — Bats have been removed from a University of Georgia dorm once again, according to officials. Now university officials are making it harder for these bats to enter in the first place.

The university told Channel 2 Action News it has installed a one-way valve in the mechanical space where the bats were spotted. This mechanical space is intended to make it so bats can get out but can no longer enter.

On Thursday, university officials confirmed that bats were discovered in the Oglethorpe House residence hall, and then released for the second time in two weeks.

The university told Channel 2 Action News that bats were cleared from the dorms after initially being seen on Jan. 14.

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Then, about 25-30 bats were spotted in the rafters of a rooftop mechanical space that is not accessible to students.

Students sent Channel 2 Action News photos of when the bats had access to the building. The photos showed them hanging from dorm room doors and in the stairwells of the dorm.

Bats are a protected species and cannot be exterminated. The Georgia Department of Health says only a small percentage of bats have rabies.

The university said it would continue to monitor the dorm for bat sightings.

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