Bats – Not fearsome, but friends

When speaking with people about bats, they often say:

So scary.
They’ll get in my hair.
They carry disease.

Bats, like the rest of the natural world, are our friends. The last thing a bat has on its mind is getting caught in human hair. That’s an old superstition. Bats eat the bugs that like to dine on humans! This fact alone tells us that bats help keep the spread of disease down as blood sucking insects often carry disease. Example – mosquitoes and West Nile Disease.

Bats work in harmony with the bees and butterflies that we’ve learned to appreciate for their essential work in pollination. Without pollination from fruit bats, much vegetation will be lost!

Living in Arizona in the mid 80s, it was a short drive from Apache Junction to Canyon Lake, the first in a series of three man-made lakes outside of Phoenix in the superstition mountains. At dusk the bats would come out to feed on bugs attracted by lights at the picnic area. You would see families quickly packing up to go, but our family would always stay to greet the bats. Stand still and quiet – before long, the bats will fly all around you, over you; sometimes you will feel the whoosh of air from their wings on your face. No, they are not trying to get in your hair! They are devouring the bugs that would love to bite you for a blood meal!

Bats are one of man’s best friends and we should be concerned about their continued existence. They are threatened by White-Nose syndrome (WNS) which has killed millions of bats in the U.S. WNS is no direct threat to humans, but cave explorers are cautioned to sanitize their clothes so they don’t spread possible infection into new areas – protect our bats! In the UK, street lights have been reported as inhibiting woodland bats from foraging for food. Bats and People explain how human disturbance is a threat. These are not localized, isolated issues. Bats are threatened all over the world. Learn more about bats and their essential place in our environment. Go bat-watching. Build or buy bat houses for your back yard! You’ll be helping bats while receiving the benefits of their association.

Free plans for building bat houses!

Beauty in Nature

Bat World Sanctuary

In a world where so many look away, Bat World Sanctuary is on the front line to end the abuse and destruction of bats. We are recognized as the world’s leader in bat care standards and cutting-edge rehabilitation treatments, and we created specific guidelines for excellence in bat education programs that are used worldwide.

Each year we rescue thousands of bats who might otherwise die. Lifetime sanctuary is given to non-releasable bats, including those that are orphaned, injured, confiscated from the illegal pet trade and retired from zoos and research facilities. Bat World Sanctuary was founded in 1994 and is a 501c3 non-profit, all volunteer organization. Donations allow us to continue our rescue efforts for bats. You can help us save bats by educating others about their plight, and by donating to Bat World Sanctuary.

Connect with Bat World on Facebook.

Bat World Sanctuary Baby Rescues

True humans are the most inspiring animal of all!

Bats are essential for a balanced ecology. Many bats are pollinators and necessary for the continued production of the food humans consume.

What we do not understand, we often fear. Bats have a bad reputation that they did nothing to earn. They are not vermin. They are not filthy. They have no desire to tangle themselves in human hair.

A single little brown bat can eat up to 1000 mosquitoes in a single hour, and is one of the world’s longest-lived mammals for its size, with life spans of almost 40 years. Take a breath and let go of irrational fears born from superstition and lack of knowledge. Now think of mosquitoes. Are mosquitoes damaging to humans, pets, and livestock? Take another look at the brown bat. Does she seem more like your friend now?

Batzilla

Connect with Batzilla on Facebook. Get to know bats through the images and videos they share!

Flying foxes are absolutely adorable, yes. However, please do not attempt to keep them as personal pets. Chances are, you will be unable to provide the environment required. If rescue is needed, please contact a bat rescue organization near you.

Post by Batzilla the Bat.

Fly by Night

The goals of Fly By Night, Inc. are to provide information and services that promote bat conservation & protect bat populations. Conservation activities consist of field research projects; public education, population management projects that include safe and humane exclusion methods & roost mitigation for ‘nuisance’ bat populations (installation of bat houses & other alternate roosts), and the rehabilitation & rescue of orphaned and injured bats.

When Laura Finn founded Fly By Night as a sole proprietor in 1994, it was the only organization of its kind in Florida. In June of 1997 the organization incorporated as Fly By Night, Inc.: The Bat Specialists, we became a Florida Not-For-Profit corporation in 1999 (CH12360) and acquired 501(c)3 nonprofit status in 2001.

Organization for Bat Conservation

Connect on Facebook

Learn about bats and download free plans to build your own bat-house for your back yard!

The Organization for Bat Conservation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit environmental education organization dedicated to inspiring people to protect bats and conserve biodiversity. Since 1992, our mission has been to teach people about the importance of bats and be a leader in bat conservation.

At the Bat Zone–our home base at Cranbrook Institute of Science in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan–we care for more than 150 bats from around the world, owls, flying squirrels, sugar gliders, skunks and a two-toed sloth. Tours of the Bat Zone run Saturdays at 12:30 pm and 2:30 pm and Sundays at 1:30 pm and 2:30 pm and daily during the summer.

Schedule a group visit to the Bat Zone for a more in-depth live bat education program or bring our bats to your school, library, or museum! We offer a variety of education programs for all ages.

Bat Conservation International

Connect on Facebook

“The mission of Bat Conservation International is to conserve the world’s bats and their ecosystems to ensure a healthy planet.”

BCI is dedicated to the enduring protection of the world’s 1300+ species of bats and their habitats and creating a world in which bats and humans successfully coexist. In pursuit of this vision, during the next five years BCI will work worldwide at scale with local, regional, national and multinational public and private partners to respond rapidly and effectively to bat conservation crises, preventing the extinction of threatened bats and the extirpation of globally significant populations of bats.
Video from Bat Conservation International

Learn more:

https://www.defenders.org/bats/bats

Mexican free tail bats can fly 60 mph at 10,000 feet, with a good tail wind. In the area of Bracken Cave in Texas, these bats eat up to 250 tons of insects each warm weather night.

Learn more:

Mango, avocado, cashews, cloves, dates, figs, banana, cocoa, saguaro, guava and agave depend upon bats for pollination. Over 500 plant species rely upon pollination by bats.

Learn more: