This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2006, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Posted: 7:44 AM- ZCMI Center employees wielding nets chased down members of a bat colony that got into the mall's food court yesterday, reported the Deseret Morning News Wednesday.
A spokeswoman for Zion Securities Corp. said between six and 12 bats were in the center and food court, the paper reported.
The bats were Brazilian free-tailed bats, also known as Mexican free-tailed bats, native to Utah. Each year, the bats migrate to Baja, Mexico, for the winter.
The bats, like other species in Utah, are protected by state law, according to the Utah Department of Wildlife Resources.
A colony of bats usually resides in the mall's parking structure, but a few got through to the food court, said the News.
