Students at the University of Georgia were shocked when they returned to find their dorm rooms infested by bats.
Ogelthorpe House is a residence hall near the school’s central campus in Athens, with about 500 students and a board that costs between $3,300 and $3,800.
Residents have reported seeing dozens of huge bats over the past two weeks, with some posting photos and videos online.
The university claims it has been working on the case for two weeks and has called pest control to try to get rid of it.
On Thursday, another 30 bats – a protected species in the state of Georgia – were found in the dormitory.
Many University of Georgia students are being driven crazy because one of the dorms on campus is infested with pests, according to students and several videos posted on social media
“We expected it would take about three days to remove all the bats because the bats are so small and can hide very well,” said Linda Kasper, director of housing at the university.
Kasper thinks the bats entered through a penthouse on the roof of the building, a mechanical room where boilers are located.
“We believe they entered through that area and then entered the stairwell through that opening,” she said Fox 5 Atlantanoting that pest control continues to try to stop the infestation and is on standby in case more are discovered.
Kasper said Sunday that all holes where the bats could enter the building have been sealed.
But students who had already returned found the creatures a terrifying prospect as they tried to return to their studies.
“It’s very alarming,” resident Eva Sardon said. “There was one in the lobby, and it was on the floor, and then all of a sudden it got up and started flying at me, so I ran back to my room.”
Ella Jones, a freshman, felt the school could have done more to protect her and her fellow students.
“I don’t know how eradication works, but I feel like more can be done,” she said Atlanta News First.
Residents of the Ogelthorpe House have reported seeing bats over the past two weeks, and some have posted photos and videos of them online
The university claims they have been working on the case for two weeks, after calling pest control to try to get rid of the bats.
On Thursday, another 30 bats – a protected species in the state of Georgia – were found in the dormitory
“It’s very alarming,” resident Eva Sardon said. “There was one in the lobby, and it was on the floor, and then all of a sudden it got up and started flying at me, so I ran back to my room.”
‘But they have certain qualifications that they cannot achieve because they are a protected species. But I go to school here, am I not a protected species? I certainly hope so.’
Although the risk is statistically low (less than one percent), the Georgia Division of Natural Resources says a non-zero number of bats have rabies.
The Northeast Health District said in a statement that it was “in the process of gathering information and conducting interviews with individuals identified as potentially at higher risk of exposure 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,” she added.
The school is also working with local health authorities by telling students to provide information based on possible exposures.
Officials believe the bats entered through a penthouse on the building’s roof, a mechanical room where boilers are located
Although statistically a low risk of less than one percent, the Georgia Division of Natural Resources says a non-zero number of bats have rabies.
Linda Kasper, director of housing for the university, said they believe all the holes that allowed the bats to enter the dormitory have been sealed.
“We have been working with the Department of Health since last week to encourage anyone who has had any contact with the bats, meaning anyone who lives in this building, anyone who has worked in this building, to complete a survey,” he said. Kasper. .
“From there, they’ve been reaching out to people to recommend health precautions they should take as a result,” she added.
The school continues to require students to contact officials if they see any additional bats in the dormitory.