When the bats attempted to return to their traditional roost in the autumn they were unable to gain access to the cave entrance. With nowhere else to go and the homing instinct strong, they instead clung to the walls of the new building where they reportedly were scraped from their perches. Carted out by the thousands in wheelbarrow loads, Indiana Bats had not yet been declared endangered. Entire populations can be destroyed in single incidents, emphasizing the need for public education and why critical sites must be protected. The vandalism at Thornhill Cave and other deliberate acts of destruction might have been prevented if protective measures had been undertaken sooner The Louisville Grotto of The National Speleological Society has now established a committee to gate the cave and has begun to appropriate funds.
Bats are extremely loyal to their chosen hibernation sites, returning to the same ones each autumn.
They pass on the information from generation to generation. With only five left of the already small colony of Indiana Bats at Thornhill Cave, it is difficult to assess whether this tiny remnant will be enough to rebuild a viable colony. Photo of Cover Bat Conservation International, Inc., 1997. Absolutely no rights of distribution by sale or other transfer of ownership or by rental, lease or lending, preparation of derivitive works, or reproduction, in whole or in part, is granted. BCI reserves the rights to actively protect against infringement.