Unfortunately, over the last 20 years, approximately 80 percent of the country's bat population has been lost. Some of the main reasons are habitat destruction and vandalism by ignorant humans. Because bats have long been feared as a source of danger and disease, people often think little about destroying their colonies when they are discovered. An even larger threat to bats has been the swelling use of pesticides in commercial agriculture. Bats feed primarily on insects, which have often been exposed to pesticides. Pesticides then build up in the tissues of the bat, and they sicken and die.
The California Bat Conservation Fund works alongside several wildlife conservation groups to alleviate people's fear of bats and demonstrate that they are vital to a healthy ecosystem. During the past few years, thanks to the California Bat Conservation Fund and its partner organizations, farmers have begun to understand that encouraging bat populations can be a viable alternative to many toxic pesticides. In one night, a single bat can eat more than its own body weight in insects. In addition, researchers have demonstrated that even artificially broadcasting bats' echolocation calls over crops can reduce insect damage by up to 50 percent.
How can I help conserve bat populations? The most important thing you can do is work to change negative attitudes towards bats. Bats are the only significant predator of night-flying insect pests. Why not build a bat house and encourage bats to live on your property? Even a small colony of bats will greatly reduce the number of mosquitoes and other unwanted insect pests. Become a member of the California Bat Conservation Fund today!
Periodically, the California Bat Conservation Fund offers workshops in bat care and rehabilitation to staff from other wildlife conservation organizations. If you are an experienced wildlife rehabilitator working with a wildlife rescue organization and you are interested in nursing bats back to health or assisting with live-bat presentations, please contact us.
Still not quite comfortable living altruistically with bats? Then there are humane ways of evicting bats from your attics and belfries.