Vampires in the night?
How old hat!
Let's change the way
we see bats!
International Bat Night
25-26 August 2018
International Bat Night – EUROBATS is back to organise the 22nd International Bat Night as darkness falls between 25-26 August 2018.
Over 30 countries celebrate bats on International Bat Night – from Belgium and Sweden to the UK! In Worcestershire, you’ll be taken a walk in the dark to learn about our ‘enigmatic’ friends.
It’s well know that bats can be seen as a bit scary! This probably comes from the fact a lot of vampire movies have made bats out to be blood-sucking and terrifying! Bats live in a forest near where I live and I’ll sometimes see them flapping past the window. It’s pretty cool!
And while it’s true that they do drink insects blood they don’t come near ours! Yet the scare stories are endangering our flying friends. If bats were to become extinct we’d be in big trouble – there would be insects everywhere!
Although bats have been used for good symbolism too. Take Batman for instance! The superhero that protects the city of Gotham in movies like The Dark Knight, or the 1960’s TV series.
But how much do you know about real bats? Did you know that they pollinate lots of plants? Like bees, bats are essential pollinators for the growth of our natural world. In fact there are nectar-feeding bats! They help disperse seeds – and are really good for the economy too!
The bat conservation international organisation knows just how important it is to help our bats. And recognise how special they are too! Did you know that some males sing when trying to attract a female? Or that vampire bats adopt orphans? Unusual for any animal, never mind a supposedly scary bat!
I had heard of a few bat species, for example, the Common pipistrelle, Daubenton’s bat and the Greater horseshoe bat, but I didn’t realise that in the UK we have 18 species of bats – wow! There’s lots of information about bat species in the UK at the Bat Conservation Trust website, and what’s more you can even listen to them as well!
Why don’t you organise your own International Bat Night event and if you are planning an event why don’t you post your details on the events page so that everyone knows what you are doing.