AUSTIN, Texas (AP) _ Biologists and bat enthusiasts are worried that a proposed subdivision near a giant bat cave in Central Texas could have harmful effects on the animals.
Gary McCracken, a board member of the Austin-based Bat Conservation International, tells the Austin American-Statesman the proposed 1,500-acre development is likely to disrupt _ and possibly kill _ some of the mostly female Mexican free-tailed bats from Comal County’s Bracken Cave.
A ripple effect could mean fewer mates for tens of millions other bats, including the mostly male population that dwells under the Congress Avenue Bridge in Austin.
The land slated for development is under contract to be sold to Dallas-based Stratford Land. A Stratford spokeswoman says company officials remain open to discussions and hope “a mutually acceptable plan can be agreed upon.”