The Economic Times

In 1990, a Texas family donated a cave to protect its bats; today, about 4 million female bats use it as a nursery each summer

A Texas family's vision for conservation transformed their cave into the Eckert James River Bat Cave Preserve in 1990, eschewing fertilizer extraction. Annually, about 4 million female Mexican free-tailed bats find refuge here, utilizing the site as their maternity colony during the crucial breeding season from May to September. Dedicated research and management initiatives strive to protect this critical habitat and deepen understanding of bat population dynamics.