OkcPets Magazine September 2021

30 OKC Pets • September/October 2021 keep coming and coming and coming for what seems like 10 to 15 minutes straight. Of the 75 spectators, no one makes a sound as these nocturnal hunters put on their show. Seeing Bats Getting on the list to visit Selman Bat Cave requires a reservation in advance, but even then, names are chosen in a random drawing. The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation limits the number of spectators to reduce the chances of disrup- tions to the large bat colony. The bat cave itself can’t be entered or ex- plored. Even if the cave were not protected, entering it isn’t a good idea or a pleasant experience, but even more concerning is that it can be lethal. Bat guano carries a parasitic fungus that destroys lungs. With the sheer amount of guano in Selman Bat Cave, a person would likely wade through chest-high mounds of the toxic refuse. “The ammonia levels in the cave would