TAMPA, Fla. — J.C. Newman Cigar Company in Ybor City is renovating a 110-year-old abandoned building on their property, but before they do it, they need to move its inhabitants.
Owners said thousands of bats have been living in the building.
Now Fly By Night bat company is working to fill in the holes and funnel out the bats.
"Decades ago, it would’ve just been easy to seal them up and exterminate them because who cares about a bunch of bats? But, the reality is that bats are an important part of the ecosystem here in Tampa," said Drew Newman with J.C. Newman Cigar Company. "They eat mosquitoes and bugs and are really good for the environment, and so before we touch this historic building and bring it back to life, we want to care for our bat colony."
Bat houses have been put up across the street from the building where the bats have begun to relocate.
