Bat World Sanctuary - History

History

The owner of Bat World Sanctuary, Amanda Lollar, was inspired to start the organization in 1989 when she discovered an injured Mexican free-tailed bat on her way to the bank. She put it in a box with food and water so that it could die a peaceful death, but the bat recovered and lived for another 18 months. Lollar named the bat "Sunshine," and sometimes refers to the sanctuary as "Sunshine's legacy." In 1995 Lollar published The Bat in my Pocket: A Memorable Friendship, a book about her experiences with Sunshine and Bat World Sanctuary.

The original Bat World was built in a historic retail building in downtown Mineral Wells, Texas. In 1992 a much larger wild sanctuary was started just a block away from Bat World. It was sited in a two-story apartment building that was built in 1899, and had been vacant for years. Lollar purchased the building when she heard that the owner was selling it and planned to exterminate residing bats as part of the process. The hand-hewn sandstone construction of the building had crumbled over time, leaving cracks and openings ideal for bats to inhabit. Two years later, in 1994, the sanctuary was oficially founded as a non-profit organization.

In 2011 a Bat World Sanctuary line of wines was released by Benefit Wines

In June 2012, Bat World Sanctuary was awarded 6.1 million dollars in damages in its defamation lawsuit against a former volunteer.

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