Did you know that BatWeek has already started? This is an annual promotion that runs from October 24 to 31, just before Halloween. This holiday, with its mystical traditions, is well suited to draw attention to the wonderful, extremely useful animals, which, unfortunately, are very vulnerable. And bats also suffer from the fact that in supposedly civilized human society very often "demonize" animals that do not cause any harm to humans, but, on the contrary, are a very important component of any ecosystem.
Bats are animals that are feared and disliked, because of their unusual appearance and nocturnal way of life, they are associated with the otherworld, with "evil" in people's imaginations. Last year, society was shaken by the information that a resident of Poltava threw 1,600 bats from the balcony of the eighth floor – most of them died. In the same month, in Kryvyi Rih, live bats were walled up with mounting foam in a window frame, but animal rights activists managed to save them. These tragic cases only highlighted the problem of attitude towards bats. Many people loathe them or even hate them.
Stereotypes and lack of information that would spread among a wide range of people led to this attitude towards poor defenseless animals. That is why such actions as the BatWeek are held.
Bats are one of the most mysterious groups of animals. Their number includes more than 1,400 species, which is about 1/4 of mammals living today. In terms of the number of species, bats are inferior only to rodents. Bats are the only mammals in the world adapted to active flight. This is possible thanks to the front limbs, which have turned into wings.
Around the world, bats play an important role in maintaining the balance of nocturnal insect populations. Just one bat can catch hundreds of insects an hour, and large colonies catch tons of insects every night, including many species of beetles and moths and, of course, mosquitoes. Exterminating a large number of twilight and nocturnal insects, bats play an important role in the biological control of insects – "pests" of agriculture and forestry. In the tropics, fructivorous and nectarivorous species of bats play a role in seed dispersal and plant pollination, thereby supporting the survival of tropical forests.
The fauna of bats of Ukraine includes 28 species, they are listed in the Red Book and require protection. The low growth rate of bat populations (they give birth to only 1-2 cubs per year), the destruction of natural biotopes, the destruction of bat shelters, as well as the negative attitude towards them by humans (which sometimes leads to deliberate destruction) are all factors that in the last few decades have put bats on the brink of extinction.
Do not offend, do not kill bats! They are not scary at all, but, on the contrary, very cute! If a bat has flown into the house, do not be afraid, but carefully catch it and take it outside. In winter, bats are especially vulnerable. If you find bats during hibernation, you can either help them survive until spring by putting them to sleep (there is a lot of information on the Internet), or call specialists who will help the animals (Ukrainian center for the rehabilitation of bats operates in Ukraine (contacts are easy to find on the Internet), whose specialists will always help with the rescue of these animals).
This week we have planned thematic excursions, during which you will be able to see, among other "mystical" animals, the bats kept in Mykolaiv Zoo (these are Egyptian fruit bats (Rousettus aegyptiacus), fruit-eating inhabitants of Africa and Southwest Asia, which you can find in an enclosure located in a warm exhibition room of the primate department).
And also during our excursions, you will be able to learn many interesting facts about the bats of the fauna of Ukraine: what they look like, where they live, what they eat and, most importantly, how each of you can help these cute and useful animals!
