Austin's rising towers are sending more bats into apartments and hotels through dime-sized cracks

Austin's high-rise surge is having an odd side effect as bats show up inside apartments, hotels, and offices far above street level.

A recent example involved a dazed bat on the patio of an Austin apartment on the 11th floor.

What happened?

While trying to get a bat out of his apartment, Chris Lindenmayer accidentally hit it with a broom and knocked it to the floor. 

"I didn't want to hurt her. I just wanted to gently get her out. But she was flying so fast, and I swung wrong," Lindenmayer said.

The bat lived, and after getting help from Austin Bat Refuge, Lindenmayer put it in a box and took it in for treatment.

This episode reflects a wider pattern in downtown Austin, as KUT reported. With more towers going up, bats have more tiny openings, warm utility spaces, and open patio doors to investigate.

By 2021, downtown Austin had 69 buildings — up from 50 in 2000, a 38% increase — and many more have been added since. Lee Mackenzie, co-founder of Austin Bat Refuge, said bats "love big buildings."

Huge numbers of Austin's famous Mexican free-tailed bats already move through the area, and newer buildings can resemble the cliff faces and narrow crevices they seek in nature. Mackenzie said: "To them, they look like nothing more than a series of cliff faces with crevices in them."

Why does it matter?

As cities grow taller and denser along wildlife flight paths, routine encounters between people and animals become more likely.

A gap as small as a dime, a damaged vent, or an unscreened door or window can all give a bat a way inside.

Both residents and bats can be harmed when that happens. People may panic or try unsafe removal methods, and bats can be injured or killed. Dianne Odegard, co-founder of Austin Bat Refuge, said some people also accidentally trap bats in roosts by sealing openings too soon.

Refuge workers said most callers mean well. "They don't want to hurt the bat," Odegard said. "Most people, at least those that call us, are interested in helping the bat."

Mackenzie added: "Bats don't need to be escorted out. If you open the door, they will find their way out."

Straightforward design choices can prevent some of these conflicts. Talmadge Smith, an architect with Stantec, said screening vents and sealing gaps is often "a really easy retrofit."

In Austin, the city's expansion is changing where animals shelter, feed, and travel, and new towers are effectively drawing bats indoors.

Get TCD's free newsletters for easy tips, smart advice, and a chance to earn $5,000 toward home upgrades. To see more stories like this one, change your Google preferences here.