BELEN, N.M. – A video of a man on a roof tearing down a sign with dozens of bats behind it went viral and sparked a lot of controversy. 

The video is from Belen, and people had concerns about the bats being a protected species. It also raised the question of now their roost is gone, where are all those bats going to go?

“Just shocked that they were doing that in the middle of the day. I think it’s hard. I try to understand that people don’t understand bats and their behavior in biology. But that one was particularly hard,” said Shannon Romeling, a biologist bat expert. 

The man on the roof? Some claim it’s Belen City Councilor Rudy Espinoza. People swarmed his social media, sharing their outrage. 

According to the New Mexico Game and Fish Department, six bat species are protected at the state level and one on the federal level. 

Romeling adds it is unclear what species is in the video, so it’s unclear if it’s illegal or not to remove them this way. But she says bats are a crucial part of local ecosystems.

“Bats are important for insect control, and that’s really important for our agricultural communities, our farmers in New Mexico,” said Romeling. 

Romeling says the colony may have just been migrating through town, and Game and Fish says you should not disturb their habitats.

“It could have just been stopping through for a week or a few days and planned to move on, or was going to move on. And so if that’s the case, it won’t have too much of an effect,” Romeling said.

The experts say if you see bats, let them handle it. 

“Most people know that they can carry rabies, so you want to be very careful contacting coming in contact with bats. If you do find one on the ground that you feel like you want to assist or do something with, wear very thick gloves, usually, you know, put it in a box and call your local wildlife rehabber,” said Romeling. 

KOB 4 reached out to Espinoza about the video, but never heard back. 

The Belen Chamber of Commerce declined to comment about the incident but said the chamber board is reviewing the incident. 

A Game and Fish spokesperson says the department received several reports and are looking into the incident. 

Espinoza could potentially face varying penalties if the species is determined to be a protected one.