BELEN, N.M. (KRQE) – Video of a Belen City Councilor evicting a bat roost has gotten the attention of thousands online who claimed the movie may have broken state or federal rules. Now, New Mexico Department of Game and Fish investigators are looking into what happened. Story continues below Money: SNAP benefits, eligibility requirements expanding in New Mexico Trending: Officials searching for missing Silver City firefighter Podcast: Heinrich & Domenici face off in 2024 U.S. Senate race News: NM CYFD considers rule changes to broaden hiring pool, opponents express concerns The video showed a man exposing a roost of bats to broad daylight which some said could violate state or federal protections. The video was posted to Facebook by Rhona Espinoza who is the executive director of the Belen Chamber of Commerce. Her post described the person on the roof as her husband, Belen City Councilor Rudy Espinoza. New Mexico State University Assistant Professor Teri Orr spoke on the video. "This is the equivalent of someone coming into your bedroom at three in the morning ripping off the covers and pointing a flashlight in your eyes and screaming at you to get out," said Orr. Orr, a bat researcher, said anyone trying to get rid of bats should call a professional or just wait them out. "They don't want anything to do with people. They're never gonna go out of their way to attack you they are trying to get away. You know, as people probably saw in the video, they just wanna get out of there," said Orr. Orr said people should think of the impact bats make in the community. "In New Mexico, we have a lot of agriculture so they would eat all the bugs that would otherwise destroy pecans, chilies, things like that. So they provide those services free of charge," said Orr. KRQE News 13 contacted the Espinoza's several times to try to get their side of the story but never heard back. Meanwhile, New Mexico Game and Fish said it has received calls about the video and sent this statement: The Department has received a number of reports to its Operation Game Thief hotline regarding a bat roost that was disturbed by an individual in the Belen area.   There are six state-listed bat species in New Mexico, as well as one federally listed species. Department representatives continue to gather information on this incident, including the species of bat involved.  “The bats that have been disturbed will find another home as they are currently in a transitional phase, having finished rearing their young and are now looking for a place to spend the winter. Some species are currently migrating to warmer areas and others are moving more locally looking to establish winter hibernation sites.  “All bat species play an important role in the ecosystem and care should be taken to not harm them or disturb their habitat. In addition, bats are carriers of rabies and should never be handled by people without proper training and expertise. If there are issues with bats in urban areas, the public is urged to contact the Department instead of acting on their own. Darren Vaughan, Director of Communications