“I recently had the absolute privilege of visiting Lee, Dianne and two of their new interns at the Austin Bat Refuge,” Sheldrick said in the caption.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“What many people might not realize is that the refuge is run almost entirely by Lee and Dianne from their own home, and relies on donations<\/a> to keep going,” Sheldrick added.\u00a0<\/p>\n “I was only there for a few hours, but during that time several new bats were admitted, with more still on the way.”<\/p>\n Why does it matter?<\/p>\n Austin, Texas, is known for its Congress Avenue Bridge bats and hosts the largest urban bat colony in the world, estimated at 1.5 million bats, according to Texas Parks and Wildlife<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Lee Mackenzie and Dianne Odegard serve as the backbone of a community resource for injured and vulnerable bats.<\/p>\n Bats play an important role in healthy ecosystems, including insect control and pollination, which can have positive ripple effects on farms, gardens, and local biodiversity.<\/p>\n When a refuge like this continues to operate, it helps support the environmental systems people rely on every day.<\/p>\n The post is a reminder that many conservation efforts survive on community support<\/a>, not massive budgets. You can donate<\/a> to the Austin Bat Refuge’s Pup Raiser Fundraiser<\/a> to help support their efforts in keeping young bats and their parents safe during the sweltering summer heat.<\/p>\n “Every contribution goes directly towards caring for these bats and helps give them the best chance of returning to the wild,” Sheldrick wrote.<\/p>\n Get TCD’s free newsletters<\/a> 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<\/a>.<\/p>\n \t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t![\"Cool](\"https:\/\/www.thecooldown.com\/wp-content\/themes\/tcd\/assets\/images\/divider-icon-earth.svg\"){kind=icon}
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