200 bats invade Danish woman's home

ABYHOJ, Denmark, Sept. 11 (UPI) -- A Danish woman whose home is overrun with an estimated 200 bats said she is low on options due to the protected status of the animals.

Helle Tryggedson of Abyhoj said what started with a single bat sighting resulting from a hole in her roof quickly turned into her home becoming a refuge for up to 200 of the winged creatures.

Tryggedson said local officials told her they couldn't remove the bats because they are a protected species in Denmark, so she sought the help of Lars Bruun Hansen with the Danish Nature Agency.

"Our advice is to leave them be," Hansen told public television station DR of the body's policy regarding bats. "The bat is a protected species, so it cannot be killed or removed from where it is living."

However, Hansen is attempting to help Tryggedson in a legal fashion by using plastic bags on the hole in the woman's roof to create a barrier that will allow the bats to leave but will block their attempts to get back into the house.

Tryggedson said the plastic bags will be in place for 10 days before she has the hole sealed.

"Then I'll hope that there aren't any other holes that can enter through," Tryggedson said. "I just want them gone. There is bat poo on the windows and I don't find that particularly lovely."