Bat infestation at UGA dorm building persists as school installs mechanism to humanely release the protected species

By Joe Johnson

Students residing in one University of Georgia dormitory building have had to cope with sharing their living space with an infestation of bats.

To combat the problem at Oglethorpe House on South Lumpkin Street the school installed a one-way valve in the rooftop mechanical space where the bats have congregated.

Oglethorpe House

The valve is designed to let the bats freely exit, but prevents them from re-entering the building.

On Jan. 21 the school informed Oglethorpe House residents that crews had completed work to rid the dorm of bats, but warned that students might continue to find "stragglers."

On Saturday, another 30 bats were found in the dorm building's rafters and removed,

Since bats are a protected species, they cannot be exterminated and must be humanely removed, so the abatement effort continues.