Orange County saves bat bridge

SANTA ANA, Calif., April 28 (UPI) -- The government of Orange County, Calif., bought a private bridge to save the more than 1,000 Mexican free-tailed bats that consider it home.

Supervisor Bill Campbell, who has been negotiating with the property owner for more than a year to save the Hicks Canyon Haul Road Bridge in the northeast part of the county, said Wednesday the structure is slated to become public property, the Los Angeles Times reported.

The move is one step toward making the bridge part of a regional trail system.