SAN ANTONIO – Nature lovers were treated to a rare sight at the Bracken Bat Cave on Saturday night when 20-million bats took to the night sky.
The event was the first time the cave was open to the public.
Recommended Videos
Bat Conservation International, the group that maintains the cave, typically does not allow the public to see the mass exodus, primarily to protect the Mexican free-tail bat colony, which is the largest in the world.
"They were awestruck. Speechless," Fran Hutchins, who monitors the cave for group, said of the customers' reaction to the bats. "With the kids, the word awesome was used quite a few times, so that's a great thing for 9 and 10 year olds these days."
BCI, in conjunction with Natural Bridge Caverns, will offer 10 more public viewings of the bat colony over the next several weeks.
Price of admission is about $50, which includes a tour of the caverns and dinner.