Cambridge Y pool closed after bats discovered

Late last week, staff at the YMCA in Cambridge noticed some unwanted guests at the Y’s swimming pool —three or four little brown bats.

Robbie Gill, CEO of the YMCA of the Chesapeake, said the staff soon discovered the little guys were not so easy to get rid of. The little brown bats are endangered and must be removed “in a very special way.”

The plan was to remove the bats on Monday, July 1, and have the pool reopened on Tuesday, July 2.

Gill has become somewhat of an expert on the little brown bats, having researched them after they were discovered in Cambridge.

He said the species has experienced a major population decline over the past decade, with the biggest threat being white-nose syndrome, a fungus-caused disease that has decimated the little brown bat population.

The bats are docile and don’t bother people, but the staff decided to close the pool out of an abundance of caution, Gill said.

The little guys can squeeze through holes as small as 3 centimeters. Gill guesses that the drought probably had attracted them to the large pool.