A family of four is grappling with a peculiar issue: an invasion of bats in their home. The Grant family has faced an overwhelming situation with nearly 80 bats taking over their residence in the Ardsley Park neighborhood, prompting them to abandon their home after it was declared an “imminent health risk” by the Georgia Department of Public Health on January 29.

“This experience has been incredibly distressing,” Monica Grant told WFLA.

Isaiah and Monica Grant and their two young children—a toddler and an infant—relocated to their rented home on W. 51 St. from Chicago a year ago. The couple encountered the first bat in their dwelling on January 18. In the days following, a few more bats appeared, and then, roughly a day later, the family found themselves overwhelmed by what seemed to be around 80 bats.

“Three bats came swooping down the stairs while we were in our living room,” Monica Grant recounted. “They started emerging from the vents. Our children were asleep by then. We realized we had to leave; something was terribly wrong.”

The Georgia Department of Public Health deemed the home unsafe for residents to occupy, leaving the Grant family unable to enter their home. Additionally, the Department of Health advised the family to get rabies vaccines, costing them almost 6 thousand according to their GoFundMe. Luckily, they have been able to stay with a neighbor, but the long-term plan is to move into new housing.

This story does have a happy ending, with the Grant Family setting up a GoFundMe that has raised over 11 thousand dollars. According to an update posted to GoFundMe on February 2nd, the family has found a townhouse to move into temporarily and an attorney to help negotiate damages with the management company.

Sources: WFLA