If you take the proper safety precautions, caves can be a lot of fun to explore. But they are extremely fragile. An unwary person could break it off, and it would be gone forever.
Bats living in the caves are very sensitive to humans invading their space.
If they are frightened away by too many people, mother bats may abandon their pups. Bats that are disturbed during the winter even only one or two times use up their energy reserves and could starve before the insects come out. If you decide to explore a cave, go with people who know what they are doing and can show you how to investigate a cave without putting yourself or the cave at risk. Contact a local Grotto for more information. Cave Facts There are over 7,000 caves in Tennessee.