A passerby found 32 bats with several broken bones and internal injuries under a bridge on Benson Highway, near the Pima County Sheriff’s Department, Monday evening.
The passerby called the Tucson Wildlife Center. Twenty were dead by the time they arrived at the center, and 12 were euthanized, according to a news release from the organization. One bat survived but is in “guarded condition,” the release said.
“It’s most likely that an entire family has been wiped out due to this cruel act,” Lisa Bates, president of the Tucson Wildlife Center said in a news release. “These bats suffered great pain for a long period of time before they were found.”
Another injured bat was brought in from the same area Tuesday afternoon, said Dee Kidd, also with the Tucson Wildlife Center.
An object believed to be used to injure the bats was found near where the bats were found, Kidd said.
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The Arizona Game and Fish Department is investigating and is offering a $1,000 reward for information leading to an arrest.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Operation Game Thief hotline at 1-800-352-0700. Go to www.azgfd.gov/ogt_form.shtml to provide more information.
